Skip to main content
Banner image for Andrew Selous

Andrew Selous

South West Bedfordshire

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About Andrew
  • News
  • Campaigns
  • Constituency
  • Surgeries
  • In Parliament
  • Contact
  • Campaign Responses
  • Sign Up

Multiple Sclerosis

  • Tweet

My mother had multiple sclerosis throughout my life, so I am very well aware of the impact that it has on people who have it and on their families.

With more than 100,000 people across the UK diagnosed with MS, it is important that people with this condition have access to the best treatments available and are supported with the cost of living.

I fully appreciate the challenges that many people living with MS are facing with the rising cost of living at the moment. Depending on their specific circumstances, it is possible that people with MS will qualify for disability benefits. People in receipt of extra-cost disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) should have received a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20 September 2022, to help with the extra costs disabled people are facing.

I welcome the Chancellor's announcement that a second Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 will also be provided to 6 million people on qualifying disability benefits during summer 2023.The Government is also providing a £650 Cost of Living Payment to recipients of means-tested benefits, to support people with low incomes with the rising cost of living. A  further payment of up to £900 will be provided in three lump sums from summer 2023.

Since 2015, £150.6 million has been spent on research into MS through the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation. This funding has the potential to improve the quality of care and treatments available to support people living with MS.

Regarding Sativex, I know that it is licensed for certain uses in the UK, as it has recognised benefits for people living with MS. However, the guidance from NICE states that it is not a cost-effective treatment for the NHS to routinely offer. I know that NICE update their guidance regularly, and it will be for them to discuss with the manufacturers of Sativex to find a model of funding appropriate to the NHS. 

I welcome the decision of NICE to recommend Ocrelizumab for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and in particular it is positive that Ocrelizumab has been recommended to treat primary progressive multiple sclerosis as well. A commercial deal reached between NHS England and the manufacturers of Ocrelizumab, Roche, improved the drug’s cost-effectiveness and paved the way for NICE to recommend its use for primary progressive MS.

People living with long term conditions such as multiple sclerosis may be eligible for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The PIP is designed to offer claimants the correct level of care for their needs, which focuses on an individual’s ability to carry out key everyday activities, and claims are reviewed so those living with long-term conditions are appropriately supported by the care and welfare system.

I have been following with interest the experiences of people who have been prescribed Fampridine, particularly those who took the drug during clinical trials, only to see it withdrawn when the trial ended. 

NICE has recently announced that it would not be recommending Fampridine for use on the NHS. It was acknowledged that Fampridine is a clinically effective treatment for some people, but is not cost effective at the current list price.  This recommendation does not affect people who have already started treatment with Fampridine in the NHS. However, I understand that local commissioners are still able to take their own funding decisions on the use of Fampridine in their areas, taking account of NICE guidance.

I appreciate that this will not have been the outcome many were hoping for.

Finally, I am aware fampridine is currently routinely available through the NHS in Wales and Scotland but not in England. I appreciate that this may feel unfair, but the availability of treatments in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

Decisions on the use of fampridine in Wales and Scotland are based on more recent reviews of the evidence by the All-Wales Medical Strategy Group and the Scottish Medicines Consortium respectively.

Campaign Responses

  • Access to Eye Care
  • Access to Mental Health Support and Services
  • Access to Nature
  • Access to Playgrounds (Disabled Children)
  • Access to Waterways
  • Adult Dependant Relative Visa
  • Adult Social Care
  • Affordability of Transport
  • Afghanistan and Pakistan
  • Afghanistan: Nowzad
  • Afghanistan Refugees
  • Afghanistan Refugees (Christians)
  • Afghanistan Withdrawal
  • Air Passenger Duty
  • Air Quality
  • AL Amyloidosis
  • Alcohol Duty
  • All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs)
  • American XL Bully Dogs
  • Animal Cruelty
  • Animal in Science Regulation Unit
  • Animal Research
  • Animal Testing – Cosmetics
  • Animal Testing - Labelling
  • Animal Welfare
  • Animal Welfare (RSPCA)
  • Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill
  • Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill
  • Animal Welfare Standards and Tourism
  • Anti-Migrant Protests
  • Arms Exports
  • Arms Exports: Israel
  • Arthritis
  • Artificial Intelligence (Education)
  • Arts Council England
  • ASRU Change Programme
  • Assisted Suicide
  • Asylum Seekers and Refugee Resettlement
  • Asylum Support and Employment
  • Audio Visual Information on Buses
  • Autistic People's Experiences of Education
  • Avian Influenza
  • Aviation Emissions
  • Aviation Industry Concerns
  • Bank 'Windfall Tax'
  • BBC Funding
  • BBC World Service
  • Behaviour in Schools
  • Biodiversity
  • Biomass
  • Bite Back Better Campaign
  • Blood Cancer (Leukaemia)
  • Bomb Disposal and Whales
  • Bovine Tuberculosis
  • Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
  • Boycotts by Public Institutions
  • Brachycephalic Animals
  • Brain Tumours
  • Breast Cancer
  • British Sign Language Classes for Families with Deaf Children
  • Building Safety Bill
  • Bus Deregulation
  • Business and Human Rights
  • Caged Farm Animals
  • Campaign - #CatchUpWithCancer
  • Canals
  • Cancer Research
  • Cancer Treatment
  • Carer’s Leave
  • Cash Availability and Acceptance
  • Chalk Streams
  • Child Deaths Worldwide
  • Child Maintenance Service (CMS)’s Collect and Pay Service
  • Child Poverty
  • Childhood Cancer Outcomes
  • Children Affected by Humanitarian Crises
  • Children with Sight Loss (Education)
  • China (Official Development Assistance)
  • Commercial Energy Prices
  • Commissioner for Older People
  • Community Energy
  • Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership
  • Compulsory Solar Power for New Builds
  • Consular Services in Afghanistan
  • Conversion Therapy Bill
  • Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill
  • COP27 (Climate-Related Loss and Damage)
  • Cost of Living (University Students)
  • Council Investment Decisions
  • Counselling Notes
  • Courier Employment Rights
  • 'Credit their Service' Campaign
  • Cropping of Dogs’ Ears
  • Cycling and Walking
  • Cyprus
  • Dangerous Dogs Act
  • Deaths Related to the Benefits System
  • Debt and the Cost of Living
  • Debt Relief for Lower Income Countries
  • Deep Sea Mining
  • Defibrillators and the Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Bill
  • Dementia Research and Diagnosis
  • Democratic Freedoms in the UK
  • Deportation Flights
  • Deposit Return Systems
  • Derby County Football Club
  • Diabetes
  • Disability Benefit Assessments
  • Disabled People and the Cost of Living
  • Dog Fighting
  • Domestic Abuse (Serial Abusers & Stalkers)
  • Domestic Abuse (Time Limits)
  • Drink and Needle Spiking
  • Early Years Funding
  • Ecology Bill
  • Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill - EDM 1415
  • Education for Deaf Children
  • Education and Development Globally
  • Elections Act
  • Elections Act - Blind and Partially Sighted Voters
  • Elections Act - Electoral Commission
  • Elections Act - First Past the Post
  • Elections Act - Joint Campaigning
  • Electric Scooter Trial Concerns
  • Electronic Collars
  • Electronic Communications Code
  • Elephants and Ivory Sales
  • Eligibility for Free School Meals Under Universal Credit
  • Emissions Trading Scheme
  • Ending Homelessness (Shelter Campaign)
  • Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
  • Energy Bill
  • Energy Bills for Families with Disabled Children
  • Energy Charter Treaty
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Energy Price Cap
  • Energy Security Strategy
  • Environmental Land Management Schemes
  • Epilepsy
  • Epilepsy: Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Equality Act 2010 (Biological Sex Matters Campaign)
  • Ethical Research
  • EveryDoctor’s #ReviveTheNHS Campaign
  • Exempt Accommodation
  • Experiments on Animals and the Use of Fur for Bearskin Caps
  • Fair Fuel APPG
  • Farmed Fish
  • Federated Data Platform (Palantir)
  • Fertility Inequality
  • Financial Services and Markets Bill
  • Fire and Rehire Tactics
  • Fireworks
  • Fireworks (Animals)
  • Football Governance
  • Football Index
  • Fraudulent Reviews of Businesses
  • Free Bus Travel Scheme
  • Free School Meals to All Children in Educational Settings
  • Free Speech
  • Free Trade Agreement with Australia
  • Frequent Flyer Levy
  • Fuel Poverty
  • Funding for Fire and Rescue Services
  • Funding for Transport for London
  • Fur Trade
  • Future of the TV Licence
  • Gas Boilers
  • Gaza
  • Gender Recognition Act 2004
  • Gene Editing and Animal Welfare
  • Genetic Technology
  • Global Food Security
  • Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
  • Glue Traps
  • Good Law Project & Runnymede: Mike Coupe & Dido Harding
  • Government Contracts
  • Green Alternatives to Gas Boilers
  • Green Finance
  • Green Investment - 2021 Spending Review
  • Green New Deal
  • Group B Streptococcus
  • Guide Dogs
  • Hamas
  • Hate Crime (Misogyny)
  • Health and Care Bill
  • Health and Care Bill: Privatisation
  • Health and Care Bill: Workforce
  • Health and Care for Older People
  • Health and Disability Green Paper
  • Health Impacts of the Climate Crisis
  • Heat Pumps
  • Hedgehogs
  • Hedgerows
  • HGV Driver Shortage
  • High Street Rental Auctions
  • Historic Landscapes
  • Homelessness
  • Holiday Lets
  • Hospices and the Cost of Energy
  • Housing and the Queen’s Speech
  • Housing Emergency (Shelter)
  • Housing First
  • HS2 and the Environment
  • HS2: Cost Transparency
  • HS2: General
  • Human Rights Act
  • Human Rights in Bahrain
  • Humanitarian Situation in East Africa
  • Hunger and Conflict
  • Hunting Act 2004
  • Identity Verification
  • Illegal Migration Bill
  • Improving Access to the Countryside
  • Income Tax and the State Pension
  • Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review
  • Independent Review of Children's Social Care
  • Independent Sector Providers and the NHS
  • India Trade Deal
  • Integrated Care Boards and Private Sector Providers
  • Intellectual Property
  • Interest on Student Loans
  • International Climate Finance
  • International Treaty for Pandemic Preparedness
  • Introducing Extended Producer Responsibility: Glass
  • Iran: Human Rights
  • Islamophobia
  • Israel: Amnesty International
  • Ivory Sales
  • Jagtar Singh Johal
  • Jerusalem
  • Jim Fitton
  • Judicial Review
  • Julian Assange
  • Junk Food Advertising Ban
  • Keeping Primates as Pets
  • Kinship Carers
  • Labelling Reforms for Animal Welfare
  • Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (Childcare as Infrastructure)
  • Light Pollution
  • Live Animal Exports
  • Liver Disease
  • Living Wage and Key Workers
  • Loan Charge
  • Loans to Developing Countries
  • Local Government Spending Power
  • Local Housing Allowance
  • Long COVID
  • March of the Mummies Protest
  • Maternity Services
  • Meadows and Grasslands
  • Medicinal Cannabis
  • Menopause
  • Mental Health
  • Mental Health (Children and Young People)
  • Mental Health Emergency Helpline
  • Mental Health Support for NHS Staff
  • Midwifery Units
  • Migrant Channel Crossings
  • Mileage Rates
  • Military Courts in Israel
  • Military Exports to Saudi Arabia
  • Modern Employment Practices
  • Modern Slavery
  • Motor Neurone Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • National Air Pollution Control Programme
  • National Care Service
  • National Insurance Contributions
  • National Security
  • National Security Bill (Torture and Unlawful Killing)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Accommodation for Asylum Seekers)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Clause 9)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Clause 11)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Overseas Asylum Processing)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Unaccompanied Children)
  • Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
  • Neglected Tropical Diseases
  • Neonicotinoids
  • Neurological Conditions
  • New Plan for Immigration
  • NHS Digital and the Handling of Patient Data
  • Nigeria: Mubarak Bala
  • Non-Religious Belief (Human Rights)
  • Ocean Protection
  • Offshore Wind
  • Oil Drilling and Cambo Oil Field
  • Oil Licenses
  • Online Gambling
  • Online Marketplaces (Regulation)
  • Online Safety Bill (Internet Regulation)
  • Online Safety Bill (Misinformation)
  • Online Safety Bill (Online Child Sexual Abuse)
  • Online Safety Bill (Pornography)
  • Online Safety Bill (Private Communications)
  • Online Safety Bill (Protecting Children from Online Porn)
  • Online Safety Bill (Suicide and Self-Harm)
  • Online Safety Bill (Women and Girls)
  • Online Scams and Fraud
  • Onshore Wind
  • Onshore Wind (Planning)
  • Pakistan (Human Rights)
  • Palestinian Human Right Defenders
  • Palestinian Political Prisoners
  • Palliative Care
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Parental Bereavement
  • Parental Leave
  • Park Homes
  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Pavement Parking
  • Peat
  • Pension Credit
  • Persecution of Christians in Nigeria and the Universal Periodic Review
  • Pet Microchipping
  • Pet Smuggling: Cats
  • Pet Theft
  • Pharmacy
  • Pig Welfare
  • Plant Based Treaty
  • Plastic Pollution
  • Police and Sarah Everard Case
  • Polluter Pays Bill
  • Prescription Charges
  • Primary School Assessments
  • Prisons (Violence) Bill
  • Privacy Laws in the UK
  • Private Jets
  • Private Rented Sector
  • Procurement Bill
  • Proportional Property Tax
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Protection of Pollinators
  • Protections for Nature
  • Protests - Abortion Clinics
  • Public Inquiry on COVID-19
  • Public Order Bill
  • Public Order Bill and Bill of Rights
  • Public Sector Pensions
  • Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill
  • Puppy and Kitten Sales
  • Queen's Speech - Bill of Rights and Brexit Freedoms
  • Racing Greyhounds
  • Radiotherapy
  • Rail Vs Air Travel
  • Recovery of the Hospitality Sector
  • Reforming Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing
  • Reforming the Private Rented Sector
  • Regulation of Vaping
  • Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
  • Right to Protest (Public Order Act, Minimum Service Levels and Boycotts)
  • Right to Work Checks
  • Royal Mail
  • Sarcoma UK Drop-In Session
  • School Food
  • School Uniform
  • Scope Campaign
  • Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988
  • Security Situation in the West Bank
  • Sentencing (Dangerous Driving)
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Shared Parental Leave
  • Smoking
  • Snares
  • Social Care Cap (Means Test)
  • Social Care for Younger Adults
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Stamp Duty Land Tax
  • Standing Charges
  • Statutory Sick Pay
  • Stop and Search
  • Storm Overflows
  • Strikes
  • Student Doctors - Bursaries
  • Sudan
  • Support for Carers and Unpaid Carers
  • Support for Children and Young People Living with Cancer
  • Support for People Who Received Infected Blood
  • Support for People with Disabilities
  • Support for People Affected by Stroke
  • Support for Road Hauliers
  • Surrogacy
  • Sustainable Fashion
  • Sustainable Fishing in British Waters
  • Tax Avoidance
  • Teachers' Pay
  • Temporary Emergency Accommodation
  • Terminal Illness and Benefits
  • Terrorist Extremism
  • Ticket Offices at Railway Stations
  • Tourism and VAT
  • Transport Emissions and Air Quality
  • Transport for Disabled People
  • Trees and Woodlands
  • Triple Lock
  • Trophy Hunting
  • Trussell Trust Campaign: Food Bank Usage
  • UK Foreign Aid
  • UK Trade and Business Commission’s First Annual Report
  • UK’s 2050 Net Zero Emissions Target
  • UK's Relations with China
  • Ultra Low Emission Zone
  • UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change
  • Unaccompanied Child Migrants in the UK
  • Universal Credit
  • Universities: Antisemitism (IHRA Definition)
  • Uplands
  • Vaccination of Children Around the World
  • Valerie's Law
  • Vaping
  • Vaping (Environment)
  • VAT and Energy Bills
  • VAT on Electric Vehicle Charging in Public Places
  • Violence Against Women and Girls
  • Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access
  • Voter ID
  • Voter ID (Student ID)
  • Voting System
  • Wages for Apprenticeships
  • Warm This Winter Campaign
  • Water Fluoridation
  • Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Developing Countries
  • Wealth Taxes
  • Windsor Framework
  • Winter Fuel Payment
  • Women’s Health Strategy - Miscarriages
  • Worker Protection Bill
  • Young People’s Wellbeing
  • Youth Homelessness

Andrew Selous MP South West Bedfordshire

Footer

  • About RSS
  • Accessibility
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • About Andrew
  • Constituency
  • In Parliament
This website is funded from Parliamentary allowances.
Copyright 2023 Andrew Selous MP South West Bedfordshire. All rights reserved.
Made in Britain
Powered by Bluetree