A new APPG for ME in Westminster
Carol Monaghan MP has re-started the APPG and the ME Association will be providing secretariat support.
Four Welsh MPs attended the first meeting in January and two have accepted committee roles:
- Ben Lake, Ceredigion Vice Chair
- Hywel Williams, Arfon Secretary
- Wayne David, Caerphilly
- James Davies, Vale of Clwyd
All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within Parliament. They are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords
The ME Association reports that the AGM established the topics that the APPG on ME will cover, including:
- Access to healthcare
- Access to financial support and welfare benefits
- Protection for children with ME
- Biomedical research spending by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
These were agreed upon with the addition of the following:
- Economic and societal impact of M.E. as a justification for additional spending (which was suggested by Stephen Metcalfe MP), and,
- Medical diagnosis (which was suggested by Olivia Blake MP).
A further aim of the new APPG is to produce a key report on issues impacting ME sufferers.
Next meeting:
The next meeting of the APPG will be on Tuesday 3rd March, from 1 – 2 pm.
Have you asked your MP to get involved? Find your MP
More information:
MEA & #MEAction: What’s next for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on ME?
