Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards releasing the £50 million they pledged in November 2021 to fund Motor Neurone Disease; and what are the reasons for the delay.

Funding for Motor Neurone Disease research has always been available via open competition. In 2021/22, NIHR spent £3.8 million on MND research, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Medical Research Council (MRC), spent around £10.8 million. On 12 December 2022 the Government announced how at least £50 million of committed funds for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research would be allocated over the next five years:

£8 million to early phase clinical research for MND via the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centres.

£2 million to the MND Collaborative Partnership, for the research community to coordinate efforts, adding £1 million already contributed by government.

£12.5 million to MND research in the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI), where seven of its fifty research programmes are focused on MND.

£6 million connect the UK DRI to the Francis Crick Institute Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the MND collaborative partnership, and the UK Dementias Platform.

The remainder (at least £21.5 million) is available via an NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC) rolling call for MND research supported by a joint Highlight Notice.