HL Deb 26 February 2004 vol 658 cc335-8

11.22 a.m.

Lord Morris of Manchester

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I declare an interest as honorary parliamentary adviser to the Royal British Legion.

The Question was as follows:

What further representations they have received concerning the Royal British Legion's call for a public inquiry into medically unexplained illnesses among veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict and related issues.

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, the Royal British Legion and others continue to campaign for such an inquiry. However, the Government are still not convinced that a public inquiry would help. The possibility that we may look again at this matter has not been ruled out. However, in the present circumstances, it is only through the programme of research initiated by the Government that we are ever likely to establish the causes of Gulf veterans' illnesses.

Lord Morris of Manchester

My Lords, I am grateful as always to my noble friend. Is she aware of the letter sent to me by Stephen Irwin QC, the chairman of the Bar Council, and other lawyers, backing the legion's call for an inquiry and insisting that difficulties in proving fault in the courts—where the burden of proof is put on the sick veteran—should not inhibit Ministers from pursuing "a process of conciliation" with the ex-service community, designed to make good by ex-gratia payments the deficiencies of the War Pensions Scheme"? Does not the lawyers' letter to me make all the more worrying the Government's new proposal to switch the onus of proof from the MoD to veterans in war pension cases where today—as my noble friend Lord Bach said in the House, at col. 1138 of the Official Report for 22 January 2004—"only a reasonable doubt" has to be raised "for claims to succeed"? Surely that proposal must now be urgently reconsidered.

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, my noble friend, as we know, has worked tirelessly with the Royal British Legion on behalf of Gulf War veterans. We thank him for that. I wish to reassure him that the MoD listened very carefully to the concerns of the Royal British Legion. On the issue of the letter which he raises, I am certain that the department will give it careful consideration. However, I have to say to him that the Government are not persuaded on the basis of information currently available to it that there is a case for additional no-fault compensation to Gulf veterans—the ex gratia payments which he mentioned—separate from and above that which is already available to both Gulf and other veterans. As far as the proposed Armed Forces compensation scheme is concerned, my noble friend will know that both Houses of Parliament will have an opportunity very soon to debate that.

Lord Astor of Hever

My Lords, what lessons were learned about multiple inoculations in the first Gulf conflict, and were they fully applied last year?

Baroness Crawley

Yes, my Lords; lessons were learned from the multiple inoculations—the "cocktail", as it is sometimes called—as regards Op TELIC and they were applied to most of those serving in the recent Gulf operation. So lessons were learned, and we shall continue to learn lessons. That sort of cocktail will not, we hope, be used again.

Lord Campbell of Croy

My Lords, have the Government an estimate of the number of veterans who are still in this situation with illnesses of this kind?

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, I do not have that brief in front of me. However—and I shall write to the noble Lord if I am not correct in this figure—up to 2,000 veterans and their families have given notice that they will look for compensation should the legal circumstances arise where their claims can be met. I shall write to the noble Lord on those figures.

The Countess of Mar

My Lords, is the noble Baroness aware that there is quite a large cohort of veterans from the Afghan war and from the present Gulf conflict who are suffering from the effects of multiple vaccinations? The lesson has not been learnt. It is particularly the case with the TA and the reservists. Can the Minister tell us why Her Majesty's Government did not do what the Americans did with their home guard and ensure that they were vaccinated prior to any conflict? Their vaccinations are kept up to date now.

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, I would to some extent refute what the noble Countess has said. From what I have been told, I believe that inoculations were given according to a timetable before the most recent conflict and were not given all together. However, I shall write to her if I am not correct.

Lord Redesdale

My Lords, can the noble Baroness say whether work is being done to investigate the anecdotal evidence that there have been a large number of birth defects among the children of those who served in the Gulf conflict? Would it not be helpful to have a public inquiry? Although the Government talk about compensation and pensions being given to servicemen, that is obviously not the case until they recognise Gulf War syndrome as regards the dependants of veterans.

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, I shall write to the noble Lord on the issue of birth defects. He will know that a great deal of research is being done both by the MoD and the Medical Research Council and that a number of pension benefits are available to ill Gulf War veterans which are taken up both by themselves and by their families.

Lord Craig of Radley

My Lords, is it not the case that the MoD and the Government continue to hide behind the excuse that further research is necessary? After 13 years, surely the time has come to appreciate that this research will never be conclusive and that ex gratia payments to resolve this ongoing distress with the war veterans should be considered actively and taken forward.

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, I hear what the noble and gallant Lord has to say, but we are not hiding behind the ongoing research programmes. The research programmes are extremely complex and we cannot hurry the assessment of those results. Some of that research has now been completed and final results are due to be published this year. So I would refute that and say that we are not hiding behind research.

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