HL Deb 11 June 1996 vol 572 cc1568-70

2.45 p.m.

The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider that the strict application of the Official Secrets Act takes precedence over the disclosure of information which would assist in the diagnosis of the health problems reported by members of the Armed Forces who were involved in Operation Granby.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe)

My Lords, no. It is our practice to release available information which would assist in the treatment of health problems experienced by members of the Armed Forces who served in Operation Granby. Clearly it is important that relevant information is made available to medical practitioners for their professional use.

The Countess of Mar

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl for his reply. Is he aware that witnesses who gave evidence to the Defence Committee in another place stated that they had been prevented from making a proper investigation of their ill-health by the threatened imposition of the Official Secrets Act? I have received letters from individuals who served in the forces and who say the same. Can the noble Earl say what is to be done about the allegations within the Ministry of Defence—of which I know he is aware—that up to 10,000 medical incidents have been "removed, lost or corrupted" from Ministry of Defence computers, and that these events relate to health problems from the Gulf War? Will the noble Earl instigate a ministerial inquiry without prejudice to the person who reported this matter?

Earl Howe

My Lords, I will gladly look into the matters raised by the noble Countess, as I always try to do. With reference to the evidence given to the Defence Select Committee, we have consistently released information about what treatment was administered to individuals on a need-to-know basis. Therefore, doctors and GPs have had access to the information. It is not true to say, however, that even where, let us suppose, medical records have been mislaid a Gulf War soldier has no access to the necessary information. All personnel should be in possession of an individual immunisation card. When he leaves the service he receives a summary of his medical record and an address to which his GP can apply for further information. The mechanisms are in place for release of all the necessary information.

Lord Williams of Elvel

My Lords, in responding to the noble Countess's Question, the Minister started by saying no. Looking at the Question, is the answer not yes? The strict application of the Official Secrets Act takes precedence over anything which is an official secret. Is that not right? The question therefore resolves itself into whether the material about which the noble Countess is talking is or is not an official secret. That, I imagine, is something that should be tested sooner or later in the courts. Does the Minister agree?

Earl Howe

My Lords, as I made clear to the noble Countess a moment ago, what we have consistently tried to do is to release information to specific individuals on a need-to-know basis. That is a common procedure. On the other hand, what we have sought to avoid is to broadcast to the world at large what is our anti-nerve agent capability. I am sure the noble Lord would agree that would not be a sensible thing to do. I believe that the course we have taken is the right one.

Lord Monkswell

My Lords, in an earlier answer, the Minister mentioned the fact that relevant information would be made available. Will he advise the House who will judge whether or not the information is relevant? Will it be the person's general medical practitioner who will determine what is and what is not relevant?

Earl Howe

My Lords, full details of what was administered to a specific serviceman would be released to his or her GP. Alternatively it is open to servicemen and servicewomen, or ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen, to come forward to be assessed by the medical assessment programme run by the MOD. In that event there would obviously be no question of anyone determining what was or what was not relevant. The key point however is that there is no reason for any GP to be in doubt about what was administered to a particular individual.

Lord Burnham

My Lords, in an article about the noble Countess in the Mail on Sunday there was much play on the use of chemical weapons in the Gulf, which I have no doubt largely gives rise to her Question. Has not the work of Senator Riegel and Mr. Tuite, who were mentioned in the article, and of the Czech medical teams in the Gulf been largely discredited? Have the Government any information as to whether there are any changes so that allegations of the use of chemical weapons can be in any way substantiated?

Earl Howe

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend. Let me make it clear that we have no confirmed reports of any Iraqi biological or chemical agents being present in the Gulf theatre of operations. Claims of Iraqi chemical attacks and chemical agents dispersed by Allied bombing have been found on investigation to have no basis in fact. There were some earlier Czech reports of positive chemical agent readings, but those have not been subsequently confirmed by the US authorities.