19 March 2009
Reading and debate
The Welfare Reform Bill brought from the Commons had its first reading in the House of Lords yesterday, 18 March 2009.
A date for the second reading and debate has not yet been posted.
Action for M.E. will write to the Lords, expressing the need for safeguards within legislation and regulations, as it did to MPs.
Yesterday also saw the Lords debate cognitive therapy.
During the discussion, the issues relating to people with M.E. were highlighted in a speech by the Countess of Mar, patron of a number of M.E. charities including BRAME, 25% Group, the Tymes Trust and ME Research UK (see cols 316-319).
The Countess spoke of limitations to the evidence base for CBT in the treatment of M.E., challenging whether the NICE guideline could accurately be described as the gold standard for best practice in managing the illness.
