I have been contacted by constituents about Motor Neurone Disease.
As the Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South, I have included below my response:
Research, ensuring early diagnosis, and providing support are the Government’s key priorities for helping those living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
In November 2021, the Government committed at least £50 million over a five-year period to MND research. I understand £35 million of this committed funding has been allocated to specialist research centres so researchers can access the funding as quickly as possible. The package includes £8 million for early phase clinical research for MND, to speed up innovative new treatments, as well as £1 million for a MND Collaborative Partnership to support the discovery of MND treatments. Remaining funding will be available for researchers to access through the MRC and NIHR.
In February 2023, the then Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, hosted a roundtable for patient groups and leading researchers to discuss their research on MND and explain how this funding can be accessed. As a result, everyone in England can now sign up to take part in MND and wider health research through the NHS App.
The increase in research funding will accelerate progress across the UK to find better treatments for MND, giving people living with the condition the chance of a better quality of life.
Thank you to those constituents who took the time to contact me about this issue.
