§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of the biological detection system vehicles operated by the 1 field laboratory unit during the Gulf war(a) arrived at their destination with scientific equipment damaged and (b) were repaired to full operational capability by the end of the conflict; and if he will make a statement; [11879]
476W(2) in what form were samples collected by the Sandfly air sampling system on each of the nine vehicles of the 1 field laboratory unit in the Gulf war (a) recorded and (b) stored; and where those samples and records are currently kept. [11596]
§ Dr. ReidI will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all papers prepared by Dr. Coker for his Department's Gulf war illness inquiries; and if he will place in the Library copies of all reports [12018]
§ Mr. SpellarGroup Captain Coker published a paper on the results from the first 284 patients seen by the MoD's medical assessment programme—MAP—in the summer 1996 edition of the Journal of the Royal Naval Medical Service—"A Review of Gulf War Illness".—I have arranged for a copy of this paper to be placed in the Library of the House.
In late 1996, the group captain prepared the first draft of a paper concerning the results from some 500 MAP patients. However, in the event work on this draft paper was never completed.
Doctors at the MAP have now seen 1,520 patients and the Government have undertaken to publish detailed results form the programme later this year. Group Captain Coker will be closely involved with this work, which will supersede his earlier draft paper.