§ Rev. W. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the health needs of those with Gulf War Syndrome. [608]
§ Dr. ReidThe Government are committed to discharging their responsibilities to those who served their country in the Gulf and are now suffering ill health. They are, accordingly, determined to make a fresh start in ensuring that the health needs of Gulf veterans are met. In order better to understand their concerns, I have invited Gulf veteran's representatives into the Ministry of Defence for a meeting on 29 May.
In the meantime, I have already announced a range of measures to improve my Department's response to their concerns. I have directed that additional resources be made available to clear the backlog of patients waiting to be seen by my Department's Medical Assessment Programme. This aims to provide all those who believe that they are ill as a result of their service in the Gulf with a clinical diagnosis of their medical condition so that appropriate treatment can be recommended to their doctor. This will ensure that my Department more urgently responds to the health needs of Gulf veterans.
In addition, I have announced that research will be undertaken into the possible interaction between the vaccinations and Nerve Agent Pre-Treatment Sets given to our troops to protect against the very real threat of biological or chemical attack. This, together with the two epidemiological studies into the prevalence of ill health amongst Gulf veterans which my Department is already funding, will allow us better to understand the health needs of Gulf veterans.