Tessa Munt Portrait

Tessa Munt

Liberal Democrat - Wells and Mendip Hills

11,121 (22.1%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


1 APPG membership (as of 28 Mar 2025)
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)
1 Former APPG membership
Whistleblowing
Administration Committee
26th Jul 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Education Committee
12th Jul 2010 - 11th Jun 2012


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Tessa Munt has voted in 100 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Tessa Munt Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op))
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(19 debate interactions)
Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op))
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
(6 debate interactions)
Keir Starmer (Labour)
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
(4 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Leader of the House
(10 debate contributions)
Home Office
(5 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Crime and Policing Bill 2024-26
(111 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Tessa Munt's debates

Wells and Mendip Hills Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Tessa Munt has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Tessa Munt

31st March 2025
Tessa Munt signed this EDM on Friday 4th April 2025

Humanitarian response to the Myanmar earthquake

Tabled by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
That this House offers its deepest condolences to the people of Myanmar and Thailand after the devastating earthquake and tragic loss of life; recognises the work done by responders to rescue survivors from rubble, deliver food and provide urgent medical assistance; welcomes the Government’s announcement of a £10 million package …
43 signatures
(Most recent: 7 Apr 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 32
Plaid Cymru: 4
Independent: 3
Green Party: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Labour: 1
2nd April 2025
Tessa Munt signed this EDM on Thursday 3rd April 2025

Israeli Defence Force attacks on humanitarian workers

Tabled by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
That this House is deeply shocked by the killing of 15 paramedic and rescue workers in Gaza, whose bodies were discovered handcuffed in mass graves following an attack from the Israeli Defence Force; notes the statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemning the attack …
53 signatures
(Most recent: 8 Apr 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 37
Labour: 7
Plaid Cymru: 4
Independent: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Green Party: 2
View All Tessa Munt's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Tessa Munt, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Tessa Munt has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Tessa Munt has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

1 Bill introduced by Tessa Munt


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision to require factors other than cost to be considered for schemes for the transmission of high voltage electricity where infrastructure would impact on the visual and other amenity of a landscape; to provide that in certain cases such infrastructure be installed by visually unobtrusive works; to require that public consultation be undertaken and inform the selection of the method and technology for the transmission infrastructures used; and for connected purposes

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 5th July 2011

Tessa Munt has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 32 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, from which Departments he received confirmation that all the data held in relation to those Departments' transparency returns for the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024 was submitted by the end of October 2024.

Guidance on ministers’, special advisers’, and senior officials’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK outlining the Cabinet Office's internal feedback process.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish Departmental transparency returns for the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024.

Ministers’, Senior Officials’ and Special Advisers’ transparency returns for the period of April to June 2024 were published on 28th November. Data for the period of July to September will be published in due course.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to respond to the Fourth Report of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee of Session 2023-24 on Lobbying and Influence: post-legislative scrutiny of the Lobbying Act 2014 and related matters, HC 203.

The Government is grateful to the Committee for its report.

The Government will consider the report alongside the development of other proposals to strengthen standards in public life and will update Parliament in due course.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
23rd Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which of the 106 Listed Places of Worship in Wells and Mendip Hills constituency have received Grants under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme since its inception.

Since 2022, the Department has awarded 50 grants, totaling £173,587.94, to Listed Places of Worship in the constituency of Wells and Mendip Hills. This includes grant funding to Wells Cathedral, Holy Trinity Church and St Mary's Church East Brent.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is to introduce regulations to remove the T8 waste exemption on used tyres.

Removal of the T8 waste exemption is one measure among a package of possible reforms to the waste exemptions regime. This Government is currently considering priorities for waste and resources and reform of the waste exemptions regime including related to used tyres.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that recovered tyres exported from the UK to India are not exported in a form that allows them to be refitted to vehicles in India.

The UK has strict controls on the export of waste to ensure that the waste is treated in an environmentally sound manner. These controls are established in UK legislation and enforced by the UK’s waste shipment competent authorities.

Defra and the Environment Agency are engaging with the Indian authorities including the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change who have confirmed that the import of waste tyres for pyrolysis is prohibited under Indian law.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Indian counterpart on steps to ensure that recovered tyres exported to India are not used to breach Indian domestic law.

The UK has strict controls on the export of waste to ensure that the waste is treated in an environmentally sound manner. These controls are established in UK legislation and enforced by the UK’s waste shipment competent authorities.

Defra and the Environment Agency are engaging with the Indian authorities including the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change who have confirmed that the import of waste tyres for pyrolysis is prohibited under Indian law.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to ensure that recovered tyres exported to India are not shipped in a form which enables them to be used in batch pyrolysis plants.

The UK has strict controls on the export of waste to ensure that the waste is treated in an environmentally sound manner. These controls are established in UK legislation and enforced by the UK’s waste shipment competent authorities.

Defra and the Environment Agency are engaging with the Indian authorities including the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change who have confirmed that the import of waste tyres for pyrolysis is prohibited under Indian law.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of recovered used tyres exported from the UK to India in the last 12 months.

This data is publicly available on the HMRC’s trade database which is available at https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
25th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time for cancer patients requiring radiotherapy treatment is before they commence that treatment in each region in England.

The Department does not hold the data in this format. Data on cancer waiting times for specific treatments can be found on NHS England’s website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/monthly-data-and-summaries/2024-25-monthly-cancer-waiting-times-statistics/

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
25th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has provided to NHS England on maximising the the potential utilisation of artificial intelligence for radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients.

No specific guidance has been provided to the National Health Service, however we expect that radiotherapy treatment centres will use all appropriate technology for treating patients, to ensure that they receive the best possible care. This includes the use of artificial intelligence where available.

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
25th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allow radiotherapy machines purchased by charities for hospitals to stop treating patients if charitable funds are not available to renew those machines.

Only radiotherapy machines purchased with Government funds are eligible for replacement through Government funding. There are no plans to change this position.

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
25th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated to the emergency radiotherapy capital equipment fund in 2024-25; and which hospital trusts have been awarded that funding.

Providers were awarded a total of £15 million to replace ageing radiotherapy equipment from an underspend in the National Health Service’s capital settlement for 2024/25. The providers who were allocated money, and the amount they were allocated, are as follows:

  • £2.5 million for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust;
  • £2.3 million for the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust;
  • £2.2 million for the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust;
  • £3.2 million for the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • £2.4 million for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; and
  • £2.4 million for the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust received funding for two machines.

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
25th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new radiotherapy machines were applied for from the funding announced in the Autumn Budget 2024; and which hospital trusts applied.

31 trusts submitted applications for funding to replace a total of 40 machines, with some trusts having applied to replace two machines. This became 30 trusts after the North Middlesex University Hospital Trust joined the Royal Free London Group on 1 January 2025, during the application process. Each trust had submitted a separate request.

Of the 30 trusts that submitted applications, two withdrew their applications, namely the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, having received funding for a replacement machine from National Health Service capital underspend. University Hospitals Birmingham did receive a contribution from this funding towards the refurbishment of its radiotherapy bunker infrastructure.

The 28 trusts that submitted applications, and who have been awarded funding to replace one machine, are as follows:

  • Barts Health NHS Trust;
  • Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust;
  • Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust;
  • Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust;
  • Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust;
  • Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust;
  • North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (Royal Free London Group);
  • Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust;
  • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust;
  • Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust;
  • Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust;
  • Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;
  • Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • The Christie NHS Foundation Trust;
  • The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust;
  • The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust;
  • United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust;
  • University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
  • University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust;
  • University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust;
  • University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust; and
  • Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
27th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 23296 on Radiotherapy Infrastructure, how NHS England plans to improve the treatment of cancer patients with radiotherapy without such an assessment.

The Government is committed to improving the treatment of cancer patients and reducing waiting times for those undergoing treatment. Further details of how we will do this will be set out in the National Cancer Plan.

We have launched a call for evidence, seeking contributions from individuals and organisations to help shape this plan, including ideas on how to improve treatment for those cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.

The call for evidence is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
27th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 23295 on Radiotherapy Equipment, for what reason NHS England did not consult (a) cancer patient groups and (b) the radiotherapy community.

NHS England invited the trusts which deliver radiotherapy services to submit an expression of interest for funding for a replacement machine. NHS England then reviewed the responses, and used allocation criteria to determine which trusts would be allocated funding for a replacement machine. These criteria focused on the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy. Funding decisions for the purchasing of equipment do not usually include wider consultation.

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
27th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which trusts have been granted linear particle accelerator renewal funds from the additional funding in the Autumn Budget 2024; what criteria was used by NHS England to make those awards; and whether trusts awarded those funds have to fund bunker modifications from their own budgets.

NHS England will be writing to those trusts which have been allocated funding for a replacement machine soon. The allocation criteria focused on the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy. A small amount of the £70 million of funding has been made available to support refurbishment costs.

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
27th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23294 on Radiotherapy Medical Equipment, what (a) guidelines, (b) regulations and (c) restrictions have been issued to trusts on the use of NHS England funding to purchase new radiotherapy machines; and whether NHS England has a database of radiotherapy machines including (i) installation and (ii) renewal dates.

Trusts were given a range of potential machines to purchase, and the use of these machines is the responsibility of the trust which houses the machine. Providers of National Health Service-funded radiotherapy services are required to submit a monthly return on their delivery of radiotherapy treatments, and this data is held in the Radiotherapy Data Set.

The National Equipment Tracking and Inventory System highlights radiotherapy cancer treatment machines within the NHS, as well as their associated ages.

Ashley Dalton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 22 January 2025 to Questions 24638, 24639 and 24640 on Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment, whether the criteria developed by NHS England for funding exclude (a) replacing radiotherapy machines purchased by charities for use by the NHS and (b) the costs of artificial intelligence products; and what the three technical specification options are for linear accelerators from which providers need to choose.

The criteria developed by NHS England excludes the replacement of radiotherapy machines purchased by charities. These machines fall outside the scope of National Health Service capital replacement funding, as they are not originally procured through NHS-funded budgets.

The costs of artificial intelligence products are not typically covered under NHS capital radiotherapy equipment replacement programmes.

21st Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what involvement (a) he and (b) his Ministers had in setting the (i) guidance and (ii) spending limits for the Government's radiotherapy machine fund.

The £70 million of funding for new radiotherapy machines will be allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. Officials from the Department have been engaged with NHS England officials in discussions about how the funding will be allocated.

21st Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the letter from NHS England to NHS Trusts of 24 December 2024, for what reasons the radiotherapy machines fund guidelines exclude the cost of updating critical bunker protections.

The £70 million of funding is for new radiotherapy machines. The responsibility for costs relating to other aspects of radiotherapy treatment remains with local systems.

17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional funding to update radiotherapy machines includes a commitment to renew every machine aged 10 years and older commissioned by the NHS to deliver radiotherapy.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.

There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.

There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.

NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if NHS England will publish the data it holds on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines which deliver more doses of radiation; and for what reason guidance on future purchases of radiotherapy machines requires a minimum of 9,000 fractions per annum.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.

There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.

There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.

NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of AI products in the funding for updating radiotherapy machines.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.

There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.

There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.

NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

17th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend the 22 January deadline for NHS Trusts to apply for funding towards new radiotherapy machines.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.

There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.

There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.

NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

16th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish the findings of the consultation entitled Improving the experiences of people with ME/CFS: interim delivery plan, published on 9 August 2023.

We are committed to improving the care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their families.

We published a summary report of the responses to the 2023 consultation on the interim delivery plan on 19 December 2024. The responses to that consultation, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan, which we aim to publish by the end of March 2025. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

The report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-experiences-of-people-with-mecfs-interim-delivery-plan/outcome/improving-the-experiences-of-people-with-mecfs-consultation-outcome

16th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is to respond to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's Report entitled End of life care: improving Do Not Attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation conversations for everyone, published on 14th March 2024.

I have responded to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's March 2024 report entitled End of life care: improving Do Not Attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation conversations (DNACPR), in a letter dated 5 November 2024. In this response, the Department set out the ongoing work on each of the recommendations in the report.

The Department is committed to ensuring that DNACPR discussions do not happen in silo or only in emergency settings, which is often too late and carried out under extreme stress, but as a part of wider advance care planning (ACP) conversations. To facilitate this, the Department and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman will jointly convene a roundtable to further discuss ACP and the findings of this report.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing biomedical research funding for ME.

No assessment has been made on the impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID on economic growth. However, the Government recognises that long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population. As part of the Get Britain Working plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.

The Government has established a Growth Mission Board focused squarely on reviving economic growth, and has established a new Growth Delivery Unit in HM Treasury to track and support delivery of key growth priorities.

The final ME/CFS delivery plan is a priority for the Department, and it is our intention to publish a response summary later this autumn. We cannot comment on the exact content of the final delivery plan at this time, but it will be shaped by the consultation responses, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, with three broad themes of attitudes and education, research, and living with ME/CFS. We aim to publish this in the winter of 2024/25.

The Department funds ME/CFS research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of ME/CFS, and are actively exploring next steps for research in this area. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ME/CFS.

Ring-fencing funding for ME/CFS has been considered and discussed with the community during the development of the Interim Delivery Plan for ME/CFS, as well as the recent roundtables on ME/CFS and Long COVID. Ring-fencing is not usual practice for research funders as applications in all areas compete for the funding available. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. Funding for high quality research is available through NIHR programmes, and there is support available for researchers to successfully apply for these awards.

Over the last five years, the NIHR has invested over £3.6 million in research programme funding for ME/CFS. This includes over £1.5 million to the DecodeME study, co-funded with the MRC, which aims to understand if there is a genetic component to the condition, and in doing so increase our understanding of ME/CFS to support the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments.

24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the potential impact of (a) ME and (b) long covid on economic growth.

No assessment has been made on the impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID on economic growth. However, the Government recognises that long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population. As part of the Get Britain Working plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.

The Government has established a Growth Mission Board focused squarely on reviving economic growth, and has established a new Growth Delivery Unit in HM Treasury to track and support delivery of key growth priorities.

The final ME/CFS delivery plan is a priority for the Department, and it is our intention to publish a response summary later this autumn. We cannot comment on the exact content of the final delivery plan at this time, but it will be shaped by the consultation responses, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, with three broad themes of attitudes and education, research, and living with ME/CFS. We aim to publish this in the winter of 2024/25.

The Department funds ME/CFS research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of ME/CFS, and are actively exploring next steps for research in this area. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ME/CFS.

Ring-fencing funding for ME/CFS has been considered and discussed with the community during the development of the Interim Delivery Plan for ME/CFS, as well as the recent roundtables on ME/CFS and Long COVID. Ring-fencing is not usual practice for research funders as applications in all areas compete for the funding available. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. Funding for high quality research is available through NIHR programmes, and there is support available for researchers to successfully apply for these awards.

Over the last five years, the NIHR has invested over £3.6 million in research programme funding for ME/CFS. This includes over £1.5 million to the DecodeME study, co-funded with the MRC, which aims to understand if there is a genetic component to the condition, and in doing so increase our understanding of ME/CFS to support the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments.

24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the delivery plan for ME/CFS will include measures to improve the safety of NHS care for patients with ME.

No assessment has been made on the impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID on economic growth. However, the Government recognises that long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population. As part of the Get Britain Working plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.

The Government has established a Growth Mission Board focused squarely on reviving economic growth, and has established a new Growth Delivery Unit in HM Treasury to track and support delivery of key growth priorities.

The final ME/CFS delivery plan is a priority for the Department, and it is our intention to publish a response summary later this autumn. We cannot comment on the exact content of the final delivery plan at this time, but it will be shaped by the consultation responses, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, with three broad themes of attitudes and education, research, and living with ME/CFS. We aim to publish this in the winter of 2024/25.

The Department funds ME/CFS research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of ME/CFS, and are actively exploring next steps for research in this area. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ME/CFS.

Ring-fencing funding for ME/CFS has been considered and discussed with the community during the development of the Interim Delivery Plan for ME/CFS, as well as the recent roundtables on ME/CFS and Long COVID. Ring-fencing is not usual practice for research funders as applications in all areas compete for the funding available. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. Funding for high quality research is available through NIHR programmes, and there is support available for researchers to successfully apply for these awards.

Over the last five years, the NIHR has invested over £3.6 million in research programme funding for ME/CFS. This includes over £1.5 million to the DecodeME study, co-funded with the MRC, which aims to understand if there is a genetic component to the condition, and in doing so increase our understanding of ME/CFS to support the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments.

1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The Ministry of Justice does not collate or record detailed data on individual private prosecutions, although some prosecutors may publish their own data separately. Therefore, it is not possible to provide data on the number of prosecutions which have been brought by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

This Government recognises that greater transparency is needed in relation to private prosecutions, in order to improve confidence in the criminal justice system. This is why we have launched a public consultation on options to improve the oversight, regulation, and transparency of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system, which closes on 8 May. The consultation seeks respondents’ views on improvements to the available data on private prosecutors and the prosecutions they bring, and this includes prosecutions brought by the RSPCA.

Sarah Sackman
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)