Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support (a) research into Motor Neurone Disease and (b) funding for that research.

The Government funds research on motor neurone disease (MND) through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation via the Medical Research Council (MRC). From 2015/16 to 2019/20, the NIHR and the MRC spent approximately £60 million on MND research. The NIHR funds a range of MND research including clinical trials of potential disease-modifying drugs, studies investigating genetics and biomarkers and work to develop interventions to support people with MND to live well. The MRC is funding experimental medicine research to increase understanding of the causes and genetic mechanisms of MND.

On 14 November 2021, we committed to make £50 million available for MND research over the next five years. New, innovative projects will help researchers to better understand the disease and its related conditions, develop and test treatments and improve care for those living with MND. A new MND Research Unit will be established within the NIHR to coordinate research applications for funding. In addition, a new MND partnership will be formed to pool expertise and resources across the research community to accelerate the delivery of new treatments.