§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made of the quality control applied to the production of the pertussis vaccine purchased from France, to which reference is made in his departmental memorandum issued in support of the statement made about Gulf war illness on 10 DecemberOfficial Report, columns 119–23. [9633]
§ Mr. SoamesNo assessment was made of the quality control applied to the production of the pertussis vaccine purchased from France for use during Operation Granby. The Department of Health acted as agents for the import of the vaccine, and arranged for it to be tested by the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control before it was released for use.
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§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the basis of the difference in assessment between his Department and that of the United States Government concerning the likely threat posed by plague in the Gulf war; and which is now assessed to be more accurate. [9568]
§ Mr. SoamesThe factors influencing US Government assessments are not a matter for my Department. The UK assessment at the time of the Gulf war was that Iraq had probably developed plague as a biological weapon. We have had no cause to revise this assessment since then.