§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now review all parliamentary answers given in both Houses on the subject of exposure to chemicals of British service personnel serving in the Gulf during Operation Granby since March 1991, and publish correct answers where required. [196]
§ Mr. SoamesWhen new information came to light that there had been wider use of organophosphate pesticides by British troops during the Gulf war, I wrote immediately to those Members of Parliament who had tabled questions or had inquired of my Department about pesticides to correct the pubic record. My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence wrote similarly to the Countess of Mar. Copies of the letters have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he was first informed that British troops and military medical staff were exposed to organophosphate pesticides during their service in Operation Granby in the Gulf war; what action he then took; and if he will place in the Library copies of all documentation on organophosphates held by his Department. [232]
194W
§ Mr. SoamesI was first made aware last month that British troops had made wider use of organophosphate pesticides during the Gulf war than we had previously been led to believe. As soon as this information came to light, we commissioned a detailed comprehensive investigation into the use of organophosphate pesticides by British troops. When this investigation is complete, I will make a full report to the House.