§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek information from(a) the United States authorities and (b) other sources on Desert Storm syndrome and on the effect on service men of the use of uranium-depleted shells.
§ Mr. HanleyMy Department is liaising with the United States authorities and is already in receipt of United States information which indicates that depleted uranium has not caused the unexplained symptoms associated with the so called Desert Storm syndrome. As with any other possible threat to the health of service personnel, my Department continues to monitor the full range of information on the alleged syndrome from all available sources.
§ Mr. RiddickTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any correspondence from hon. Members on behalf of constituents who allege they are suffering from unexplained illnesses that they put down to their service with the armed forces in the Gulf during Operation Granby.
§ Mr. HanleyI am only aware of one such letter, which the hon. Member for Hemsworth (Mr. Enright) raised as a point of order yesterday at column 185. This letter merely provided the name of a constituent and listed some of the health problems he was experiencing. There was no mention of his address or other identifying information or details of his military service or corroborating medical evidence. I have therefore written to the hon. Member for Hemsworth advising that his constituent consult his GP and that if the GP wished to refer the case to the MOD as being one where there were unexplained symptoms which could be attributable to service in the Gulf I would be more than happy to ensure that the matter was fully investigated. This advice applies to all hon. and right hon. Members who may have constituents in similar situations.