Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Hansard, 24 January 1994)

§ Mrs. Ewing
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people United Kingdom have been registered as suffering from ME.

§ Mr. Sackville
As there is no agreed case definition, accurate figures cannot be collected.

§ Mrs. Ewing
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated by Her Majesty's Government for research into the causes and treatment of ME.

§ Mr. Sackville
The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant in aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The MRC has been funding a study at the Institute of Psychiatry for four years where researchers are attempting to find ways to help myalgic encephalomyelitis sufferers to cope with their disease and regain their health. The estimated cost of this project is £91,000. The Department and the MRC are always willing to receive and consider soundly based research proposals in competition with other applications.