HC Deb 06 April 1998 vol 310 cc7-8
5. Mr. Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy)

What his current estimate is of the number of service men and ex?service men affected by Gulf war syndrome; and if he will make a statement.[36261]

The Minister for the Armed Forces (Dr. John Reid)

There is still no medical or scientific consensus about the nature of illnesses among Gulf veterans. Any statistical verification of such illnesses and the difference between Gulf veterans and the general population will have to await the outcome of the epidemiological studies. However, I can tell the hon. Gentleman that, so far, 2,592 individuals have sought a referral to the Ministry's medical assessment programme.

Mr. Llwyd

I thank the Minister for that response and for the written replies that I have recently had from him. I know that he is taking a close interest in this subject, but will he ensure that the reviews and the investigation are dealt with urgently? In the meantime, will he confer with colleagues to ensure that the treatment available for those suffering from that syndrome is the same throughout the UK? At the moment, it is a lottery, as the treatment varies depending on where one lives. Will he pursue a policy that encourages more co-ordination?

Dr. Reid

On the hon. Gentleman's second point, we have already written to general practitioners throughout the United Kingdom telling them that any Gulf veteran who reports to them should not be dismissed out of hand, and referring them to the medical assessment programme. On the general seriousness with which the Government are treating the matter, even our worst enemies would admit that the effort put into it has been unparalleled in terms of our openness, our dialogue with the veterans, the resources allocated to the medical assessment programme, the continuation of the epidemiological studies already started, the inauguration of new studies into vaccines, and the publication of a huge amount of material on organophosphates and vaccines, to ensure that Gulf veterans are kept fully informed.

Laura Moffatt (Crawley)

Is my hon. Friend in a position to publish the scientific studies on dead animals found in the Gulf? Would that have a bearing on those suffering from Gulf war illnesses?

Dr. Reid

I am in a position to do so. Earlier today, I published another paper, which details the outcome of the Ministry's review of information relating to dead animals in the Gulf. It had been requested by the hon. Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key), among others. On the basis of contemporary reports and eyewitness accounts, no evidence has been found to suggest that the presence of dead animals in the Gulf—the theatre of operations during the 1990-91 conflict—was related to the use of chemical or biological weapons. We remain of the view that there is no confirmed evidence of the use of chemical or biological weapons by Iraq in 1990-91.

Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex)

May I congratulate the Minister on the way in which he and his staff are pushing ahead with what is a fiendishly complicated and difficult project? Does he agree that one of the difficulties of keeping Gulf war veterans accurately informed is that most of the studies, including those started under the previous Government, are very long term because of the complicated nature of the matters that they assess? When does he anticipate receiving the first detailed epidemiological survey relating to the Gulf war veterans?

Dr. Reid

As a general proposition, I agree with the hon. Gentleman about the wide range of the matters under consideration. Almost everyone to whom one speaks has his or her own theory about what may have caused a group of illnesses that may or may not be related.

It was anticipated that the outcome of the epidemiological studies would be available in a couple of years' time. However, difficulties are being encountered by the Medical Research Council and others in identifying exactly where every Gulf veteran is. We are doing what we can to help, but unfortunately, in our attempts to gain access to the addresses of all those who served in the Gulf, we are coming up against difficulties with the data protection legislation and the agencies implementing it. I urge members of Her Majesty's forces who served in the Gulf to write to the Ministry of Defence with their present address so that we can pass it on to those carrying out the epidemiological studies.