DoH Reply - Dawn Primarolo

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DoH Reply - Dawn Primarolo

Recently received the following from Dawn Primarolo at the DoH via my MP

Yvette , following a query into research I sent her after ME Awareness

Week/

Your Ref WAINW01001/01071140

PO0000217465

Dear Yvette

Thank you for your letter of 15 June to Caroline Flint enclosing

correspondence from your constituent Mr Trevor Wainwright about chronic

fatigue syndrome/Myalgic encephalopathy (CFS/ME)

The Department of Health funds research for health policy development,

clinical and applied health research in the NHS, and the NHS costs in

supporting research funded by other bodies such as the research councils and

charities. The Departments budget for 2006-07 is £753 million. Details of

how individuals NHS based projects, including some concerned with CFS/ME,

are on the National Research Register at www.nrr.nhs.uk, Some of these

projects receive external funding from research councils and charities.

There have been some recent findings about a genetic basis of CFS/ME which

are providing extremely valuable insights into the causes and possible

therapies. Clearly these are early research findings which at present have

no direct relevance to any predictive or diagnostic gene test for theses

conditions. However, the Department continues to keep such developments

under review and there are well-established mechanisms to evaluate new

genetic findings and ensure their proper implementation across the NHS.

Mr Wainwright may be aware that the Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of

the main agencies through which the Government supports biomedical research.

The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department for Innovation,

Universities and Skills, via the Innovation Group.

The MRC is not currently committed to funding scientific research into all

aspects of CFS/ME, including evaluations of other treatments and studies

into the biological basis of the condition. The MRC always welcomes

high-quality applications for support of human health and theses are judged

in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made

according to their scientific quality.

Dawn Primarolo

The Department of Health

Richmond House

79 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2NS

Any question on the issue to Ms Primarolo, your comments welcome to me as I

shall be replying to her during the course of next week

Trev

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