Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment

HC Deb 09 May 1996 vol 277 cc221-4W

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions are placed on staff at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment in respect of testing chemical agents on themselves; when this policy was introduced; and if staff who break this policy are subject to disciplinary action. [28037]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 9 May 1996:

I have been asked to reply to your question about staff at the former Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment testing substances on themselves since this falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes CBD Sector in one of its divisions.

Staff in what is now called the Protection and Life Sciences Division, Porton Down are not permitted to test chemical agents on themselves. This has been a long standing policy of the establishment at Porton Down but we have been unable to find a date on which this policy was formally introduced. We are aware that some experiments were conducted involving staff and the incapacitating drug LSD in the early 1960s but we are unaware of any other formal studies since that time having been undertaken involving members of staff. If any member of staff was found to have deviated from the policy on self testing they would be subject to the same disciplinary action expected for any other infringement of workplace regulations.

I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the three-year review of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment as an agency of his Department finished. [28041]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 9 May 1996:

I have been asked to reply to your question about the three year review of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment as Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which now includes the former CBDE in one of its divisions.

The three year review of the Chemical and Biological Defence Agency consisted of three elements: the evaluation of performance, reconsideration of Prior Options, and revision of the Framework Document. The evaluation of performance was carried out by Coopers and Lybrand in 1993 and their report was received in early 1994. The second phase involving reconsideration of the Prior Options coincided with the Defence Cost Studies being carried out by the Ministry of Defence as part of the Front Line First review. The Defence Cost Studies exercise recommended that CBDE should become an element of a new science and technology agency which became known as the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and was launched as a trading fund on 1 April 1995. The move into the DERA therefore superseded the Prior Options reconsideration and the revision of the Framework Document.

I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if service personnel who take part in the service volunteers programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment are subject to(a) positive and (b) negative vetting; [28035]

(2) if service personnel who take part in the service volunteers programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment are required to sign the Official Secrets Act 1911 during their stay. [28034]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 9 May 1996:

I have been asked to reply to your questions about whether service volunteers attending the former Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down are security vetted and sign the Official Secrets Act. This falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and I am answering both questions in this reply.

All those who take part in the volunteer programme at what is now known as the Protection and Life Sciences Division, Porton Down are serving members of the Armed Forces and as such will have signed the Official Secrets Act. The volunteers are not required to sign the Official Secrets Act again during their stay at Porton Down

Since 1990 service personnel have had routine security clearances conducted as part of the recruitment process. No further levels of security clearances are required in order to take part in the studies conducted at Porton Down.

I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what details of experiments, when requested, are given to relatives of service personnel who took part in the service volunteers programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment in cases where the service personnel are no longer living. [28043]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 9 May 1996:

I have been asked to reply to your question about providing information to relatives of volunteers at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment Porton Down since the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency now includes CBD Sector in one of its divisions.

To date we have not received any enquiries from the relatives of deceased former volunteers. If we were to be approached by the close relatives of a former volunteer we would provide them with the same information we would have given the volunteer himself regarding their parent, child or spouse's experiences at Porton Down.

I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for which civilian organisations the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment has carried out work since 1966; and if it has been the objective of the establishment to increase its work for civilian bodies since 1966. [28042]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 9 May 1996:

I have been asked to reply to your question about work done for civilian organisations by the Chemical and Biological Defence Sector (CBD) of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).

In common with the rest of DERA, CBD undertakes work for other government departments and the commercial sector. It does this primarily to maintain its scientific capability against a background of continuing budgetary pressures on the MOD. Without such work the scientific support essential for the defence of the realm in the face of an increasingly complex spectrum of chemical and biological threats would be compromised.

A secondary motivation for CBD's involvement in non-MOD work is to facilitate technology transfer in line with UK Government policy. This aims to maximise the benefit of MOD expenditure on defence research through its application in other areas. Working with the civil sector on a commercial basis allows the MOD's technology to be valued as an investment and properly exploited to the good of the UK economy.

I regret it would involve disproportionate costs to try and identify all the civilian organisations for which the establishment at Porton Down has conducted research since 1966.

I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the responsibilities and objectives of the medical division of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment; when this division was set up; who have been the superintendents or heads of this division since 1966; and in which years they were superintendent or head of this division. [28036]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 9 May 1996:

I have been asked to reply to your question about the medical division of the former Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down which is now part of the Chemical and Biological Defence Sector of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).

As part of the organisational changes which occurred when the former Cl3DE joined DERA the medical division was amalgamated with the former biology and microbiology divisions to form the Medical Countermeasures business centre. This department has the responsibility of carrying out research to increase the body's capability to withstand attack from chemical or biological warfare agents and to provide treatments should personnel be exposed to such materials. The research interests include biochemistry and toxicology, drug evaluation, vaccine research, physiology and human factors, and surgical and materials specialisations.

The Medical division was first formally identified by that title in 1954 and had its roots in the physiology section which had existed at Porton Down since World War 1. Since 1966 it has had 5 superintendents who have held the posts for varying periods of time from one to thirteen years. Apart from acknowledging the head of the establishment I regret it is not our practice to name individuals who hold specific posts within the organisation.

I hope this information is helpful.