§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United States Central Intelligence Agency is holding up to 1.5 million documents relating to operations during the Gulf War which may explain the cause of illness suffered by Gulf veterans; and, if so, whether they have asked for access to these documents in order to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of ill United Kingdom Gulf veterans. [HL1823]
§ Lord GilbertThe Ministry of Defence is aware that earlier this year the US Central Intelligence Agency made available to the Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses at the Department of Defense a large number of documents relating to the Gulf conflict, which they are now in the process of analysing. As part of our continuous close co-operation with the US authorities, we will monitor the results of this analysis in order to ensure that our handling of British Gulf veterans' health concerns benefits from any available US information or experience.