Written questions by McDonnell.

How many Ministry of Defence personnel were based in Germany in each year since 2000.

The number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) Personnel, by location, as at 1 July 2024 can be found below. Total MOD Personnel1,230by region: North Rheine - Westphalia410Bavaria70Elsewhere/Unspecified750MOD Personnel includes UK Armed Forces Regulars, MOD Civil Servants and Locally Engaged Civilians.The figures are based on service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the country containing the home port of their ship.Figures by location can only be provided as at 1 July 2024, rather than 16 October 2024, in line with published statistics.Elsewhere/ Unspecified includes all regions where there are a small number of personnel to prevent inadvertent disclosure and personnel where their exact location is unspecified. This also includes Locally Engaged Civilians, as location data below country level is not available for this cohort. The numbers of MOD Personnel stationed in Germany, 1 April 2007 - 1 April 2024 can be found below. DateMOD Personnel01 April 200730,38001 April 200829,49001 April 200926,55001 April 201026,13001 April 201124,71001 April 201222,79001 April 201320,14001 April 201417,20001 April 201512,87001 April 20167,24001 April 20175,58001 April 20185,24001 April 20194,41001 April 20201,25001 April 20211,13001 April 20221,15001 April 20231,18001 April 20241,200 Notes/caveats MOD Personnel includes UK Armed Forces Regulars, MOD Civil Servants and Locally Engaged Civilians.The figures are based on service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the country containing the home port of their ship.Data prior to 1 April 2007 is not held.

How many Ministry of Defence personnel were based in Germany on 16 October 2024, broken down by location.

The number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) Personnel, by location, as at 1 July 2024 can be found below. Total MOD Personnel1,230by region: North Rheine - Westphalia410Bavaria70Elsewhere/Unspecified750MOD Personnel includes UK Armed Forces Regulars, MOD Civil Servants and Locally Engaged Civilians.The figures are based on service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the country containing the home port of their ship.Figures by location can only be provided as at 1 July 2024, rather than 16 October 2024, in line with published statistics.Elsewhere/ Unspecified includes all regions where there are a small number of personnel to prevent inadvertent disclosure and personnel where their exact location is unspecified. This also includes Locally Engaged Civilians, as location data below country level is not available for this cohort. The numbers of MOD Personnel stationed in Germany, 1 April 2007 - 1 April 2024 can be found below. DateMOD Personnel01 April 200730,38001 April 200829,49001 April 200926,55001 April 201026,13001 April 201124,71001 April 201222,79001 April 201320,14001 April 201417,20001 April 201512,87001 April 20167,24001 April 20175,58001 April 20185,24001 April 20194,41001 April 20201,25001 April 20211,13001 April 20221,15001 April 20231,18001 April 20241,200 Notes/caveats MOD Personnel includes UK Armed Forces Regulars, MOD Civil Servants and Locally Engaged Civilians.The figures are based on service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the country containing the home port of their ship.Data prior to 1 April 2007 is not held.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to research into (a) myalgic encephalomyelitis and (b) long covid.

The Department funds research in health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and are actively exploring next steps for research in these areas. This includes a roundtable I hosted on long COVID on 17 October 2024, which included discussion on how long COVID research is relevant to other post-viral syndromes and how to stimulate the research community to undertake future research.Over the last five years, the NIHR has invested almost £2.3 million in research programme funding for ME/CFS. In addition, the NIHR and the MRC are also providing £3.2 million of co-funding towards the DecodeME study, which aims to understand if there is a genetic component to the condition, and in doing so increase our understanding of ME/CFS to support the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments.In the same period, the Government, through the NIHR and the MRC, has invested over £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The NIHR specifically has invested £42.7 million towards research funding for long COVID. The projects funded aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care.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. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.Publishing the consultation response and delivery plan for ME/CFS is a key priority for me.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allocating more funding for research into (a) myalgic encephalomyelitis and (b) long covid.

The Department funds research in health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and are actively exploring next steps for research in these areas. This includes a roundtable I hosted on long COVID on 17 October 2024, which included discussion on how long COVID research is relevant to other post-viral syndromes and how to stimulate the research community to undertake future research.Over the last five years, the NIHR has invested almost £2.3 million in research programme funding for ME/CFS. In addition, the NIHR and the MRC are also providing £3.2 million of co-funding towards the DecodeME study, which aims to understand if there is a genetic component to the condition, and in doing so increase our understanding of ME/CFS to support the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments.In the same period, the Government, through the NIHR and the MRC, has invested over £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The NIHR specifically has invested £42.7 million towards research funding for long COVID. The projects funded aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care.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. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.Publishing the consultation response and delivery plan for ME/CFS is a key priority for me.