Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing research funding for myalgic encephalomyelitis within NHS services in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), including through addressing barriers to research. We have outlined our approach to supporting ME/CFS research in the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, which was published in July. These steps include a research showcase event, a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical interventions, and the announcement of new funded studies in health and care services and research infrastructure and capacity building. We will continue working with the ME/CFS community to identify and address barriers to research, with the ambition of supporting more research and capacity-building programmes.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ME/CFS. Research funding is available, and applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The NIHR works closely with regional National Health Service trusts through funding research infrastructure and research delivery staff embedded in NHS organisations, ensuring research is translated into practice.

The NIHR and the Medical Research Council have provided over £3.2 million towards the DecodeME study to investigate if there is a genetic component to the condition. Preliminary findings from DecodeME indicate genetic differences in eight areas linked to the immune and nervous systems in people with ME/CFS. This discovery of specific genetic signals may help us understand the biological pathways involved in ME/CFS in the future, informing the development of diagnostics and treatments.