Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of the research budget allocated for myalgic encephalomyelitis and Long Covid, and whether they plan to increase this amount.

A consultation was run in 2023 on the interim delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). In the World ME Day Westminster Hall debate in May 2024, the current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention pushed for the publication of a response to the consultation. It is now a priority for the Department, and it is our intention to publish a response in the coming months. The consultation responses, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the Final Delivery Plan, which we aim to publish in the winter of 2024/25.

No specific assessment has been made of the proportion of the research budget allocated for ME/CFS or long COVID. Over the last five years, the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has allocated £6.64 million of funding to support 10 research projects, including the £3.2 million DecodeME study, co-funded with the Medical Research Council. Over the same period, the NIHR and UK Research and Innovation have awarded over £50 million for long COVID research. The NIHR remains committed to funding high-quality research to better understand the causes and health impacts of ME/CFS and long COVID, and to identify and evaluate new treatments and interventions.

It is not usual practice for the NIHR to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ME/CFS and long COVID. 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.