UK: All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on ME news, 2020 onward

I didn't realise that Julia Newton has quit researching ME/CFS.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1239866938144239619


https://www.meassociation.org.uk/20...dical-research-meeting-summary-17-march-2020/

 

Great - my MP Scott Mann attended. Does this mean that he is a member of the APPG?

 

Do you belong to #ME Action England SW on FB @MeSci ?
If so , or whatever we are supposed to do these days! I am one of the Admins.

It is recorded in our records that Scott Mann gave a very supportive speech at the ME debate January 2019. As long as he is not a PPS (Parliamentary Private Secretary), a Minister (Junior upwards) or a member of a Select Committee, then, I presume that his presence at the APPG shows a willingness to be a member.

I have recently spoken to Siobhan Baillie (Stroud) who is a new supporter, but she can only ask to be kept informed by the APPG (but not officially be a member because she serves on a Select Committee).

 

I think they have ample members of the APPG now, for it to exist/function etc.

Great that more MPs are happy to be kept in the loop though.

 

I think “our Guy” would be scared not to be kept informed (by APPG) .....otherwise the 4 of us - able to debate with him - would be on the War Path (well, wobble, sticks, wheelchairs!) to his door again.

 

No - I'm not on Facebook.

 

if you would be interested in being put in contact with other constituents/receive any updates re Scott Mann, please message me through Inbox and I am happy to give you my email address to discuss further.

I can also ask the other FB Admins, for any other ideas to include you with any local work being done.
No worries, if you would prefer not.

 

Anyone know what “we need ring fenced sustained funding” actually means/will mean in real terms?

 

No thanks - can't manage anything extra at present. Thanks anyway!

 

Wasn’t there an APPG meeting due this month? You’d think this type of thing could be arranged virtually via zoom etc

 

https://www.actionforme.org.uk/news/appg-on-me-next-meeting-on-tuesday-16th-june-2020/

https://twitter.com/user/status/1269930718827773958

 

MEAction also provide a link to a template email for you to send to your MP.

https://www.meaction.net/2020/06/08...cheduled/?mc_cid=d8cb697051&mc_eid=ee46ca3e63

Even if they have not been interested before, or are unlikely to attend it is good to keep MPs informed. You could mention that the concerns that some people are likely go on to develop ME after COVID 19.

Majority of people with ME have developed it after an infection, often viral.

 

Code:

https://twitter.com/MEAssociation/status/1312031414049796096

https://twitter.com/user/status/1312031414049796096

 

Have invited Scott Mann, my MP.

 

https://www.parliament.uk/globalass...-party-groups/guide-to-the-rules-on-appgs.pdf

Guide to the Rules on All-Party Parliamentary Groups

p9 Holding meetings

 

[My highlighting in brown]

https://www.parliament.uk/globalass...l-party-groups/advice-notes/advice-note-7.pdf

ADVICE NOTE 7: Coronavirus and APPGs – Advice Effective from 15 September 2020

Email sent to all APPG chairs on 15 September from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards:

Virtual meetings and elections for APPGs

This email updates you on the rules for formal meetings by APPGs. Formal meetings must be virtual and not face to face until the end of the parliamentary session (which we expect to be in early May 2021, unless unforeseen events intervene).

Since 8 June 2020, APPGs have been required to hold their formal meetings virtually. Formal meetings include inaugurals, and meetings involving decision taking and elections. It is unlikely that you need to hold an AGM in 2020, but if you do hold such a meeting before the end of the session, this too must be virtual. (For most groups their reporting year will end in early 2021, and an AGM would need to take place within the 4 months after the end of that reporting year. To check the date of your reporting year please see your register entry.)

We ask you to avoid holding face to face APPG meetings on the estate, whether formal or informal, even if some members participate remotely. To hold a virtual formal meeting, you must:

1. Advertise it at least one week in advance on the All-Party Notices. Your notice must give

• the date and time of the meeting, whether it is an Inaugural, AGM or EGM or other meeting, and if it involves an election. It must be on a day when both Houses are sitting;

• the time of any voting (if different);

• the deadline for registering to attend the meeting, which should normally be no later than 6pm on the day before the election;

• contact details for someone with a parliamentary email address who will act as administrator for the meeting and the voting. They must provide the log in details (if needed), and send out and receive any ballot papers (if used).​

2. Advertise the meeting on your group’s website if it has one. You may also want to send details to all parliamentary members of your group. But do not send mass emails to all parliamentarians.

3. Check that the meeting is quorate. The quorum is set out at paragraphs 20 d and e of Guide to the Rules for APPGs.

4. After any vote, arrange a count. You must count only votes which come from parliamentary email addresses and are from current members of the House of Commons or House of Lords.

5. Prepare minutes of the meeting in the usual way, and include the result of any voting. These do not have to include the names of those who voted. In accordance with paragraph 27 of the Guide to the Rules for APPGs, your group must publish the minutes on its website if it has one. If your group has no website it must keep copies of the minutes and provide them to enquirers on request.

We do not prescribe how elections are to be conducted, or what software to use for votes. However, if it is to be a single yes/no decision you may find it easy to use Outlook voting buttons.

We hope that these new rules will help APPGs to carry out their work while keeping meetings on the parliamentary estate to a minimum.

If you need more information, the Registrar (Heather Wood) and the Assistant Registrar (Philippa Wainwright) are happy to help and advise. Please do feel free to contact them (via groupsregister@parliament.uk or on 0207 219 3277 or 0401).

Kind regards

Kathryn Stone OBE

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards


Useful links

• Guidance on using MS Teams (via Sharepoint on the parliamentary intranet)

• Guidance on using MS Outlook voting buttons

• Registration form for group’s Inaugural Meeting

 

Just had a reply from his Parliamentary Assistant:

"Thank you for your email to Scott Mann MP. He has asked me to let you know that he will be attending this virtual meeting tomorrow.

Thank you for drawing it to his attention."