asked Her Majesty's Government:

When plans to produce the series of National Health Service documents, Occupational Aspects of the Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): A National Guideline were first proposed; by whom they were proposed; by whom they were drafted; whether the authors were aware of the imminent production of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on this illness; to whom the documents have been distributed; and what was the cost of their production and distribution. [HL2005]

Occupational Aspects of the Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): A National Guideline was proposed by the department’s NHS Plus project as part of its evidence-based guidelines work. A committee of stakeholders external to the project approves the scope and draft proposals for all the project guidelines. Each guideline is produced by a guideline development group and scrutinised by two external assessors. All members of the CFS guideline development group and the external assessors are listed in the published guideline, which is available on the NHS Plus website at www.nhsplus.nhs.uk.

NHS Plus worked closely with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the development of the above guideline, which is specifically focused on occupational issues. NICE is looking at clinical aspects of management of the condition.

The guideline was distributed in printed copy to all NHS Plus occupational health departments and the faculty of occupational medicine. A full scientific review and accompanying summary leaflets are freely available on the NHS Plus website. The guideline cost less than £15,000 to produce and distribute.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What will be the status of the series of National Health Service documents, Occupational Aspects of the Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): A National Guideline after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) are published. [HL2006]

The NHS Plus guideline deals with the occupational aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and will complement the forthcoming National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline on CFS, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, which deals with the clinical aspects of the management of the condition.