§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what prior warnings of the hazard and effects of the incapacitating agent BZ were given to service personnel who were tested with this agent by his Department; in which years these tests were carried out; how many service personnel were tested with the agent; and which regiments or branches of the United Kingdom armed services these personnel were from;
(2) on what date information about CR gas was first passed from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence to the United States Department of Defense; in what form this information was passed; and if this information was passed under the terms of the technical co-operation programme;
(3) on what date the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence received the last quantity of nerve agent VX from the United States Department of Defense; which United States Department of Defense establishment supplied the quantity of nerve gas; what safety precautions were taken during the transfer of the nerve agent; and which United States safety authorities, British safety authorities and British local councils were informed beforehand of the transfer of this nerve agent;
(4) how the workings of the basic standardisation agreement between the British, American and Canadian armies were affected by the British decision to give up offensive work on chemical and biological weapons;
(5) how often the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada have met under the terms of the 1980 memorandum of understanding on chemical and biological defence; and what were the dates and locations of each of these meetings;
(6) what tests and studies his Department has carried out using the organism pasteurella tularensis; when and where these experiments took place; and if the results of this scientific activity were exchanged with the United States of America, Canada or Australia;
(7) how many scientific papers co-authored by scientists from the chemical and biological establishment at Porton Down and their counterparts in the United States of America military have been published since 1979; what were the dates of these papers; and in which scientific journals they were published;
(8) what experiments his Department has carried out on the chemical agent phencyclidine; when and where the experiments were carried out; and if the results of the experiments were exchanged with the United States of America, Canada or Australia;
(9) what stocks of toxins have been transferred from the United States of America Department of Defence to the Ministry of Defence or British scientific research institutions since 1979; from which United States of America Department of Defence establishments these toxins have been transferred; and under which international defence agreements these toxins have been transferred.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThese are matters for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (CBDE) under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive of CBDE to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993: 516W
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him what prior warnings of the hazard and effects of the incapacitating agent BZ were given to service personnel who were tested with this agent by his Department; in which years these tests were carried out; how many service personnel were tested with the agent; and which regiments or branches of the United Kingdom armed services these personnel were from (Question 2, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. This work includes the evaluation of the potential hazard of possible agents such as the incapacitating agent BZ.3. The Service volunteers in the studies involving BZ came from all branches of the Armed Services in response to a request for volunteers to participate in studies at the then Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment. The volunteers were informed that the purpose of the tests was to assess the effects of a potential agent which might affect their behaviour. Volunteers were screened for normality by a resident Army Psychiatrist on arrival at Porton Down and checked again after the study. These studies were carried out in the mid 1960s. It would involve a disproportionate amount of effort to determine which regiments or branches of the Armed Forces these personnel were from.Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him on what date information about CR gas was first passed from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence to the United States Department of Defense; in what form this information was passed; and if this information was passed under the terms of The Technical Co-operation Programme (Question 5, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of that programme evaluation is carried out of chemicals that may be used by an aggressor. Research into CR gas at the then Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down commenced in 1962. The information gained in the research programme during the subsequent years has formed part of the chemical and biological defence programme which has been the subject of information exchange and collaboration with the United States Department of Defense on a continuing basis. This information was exchanged under the aegis of the defence agreements referred to by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the Rt. Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP, in his reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, Columns 255–256 which include the Technical Co-operation Programme. A report written in 1962 was provided to the United States Department of Defense under the terms of this Programme. It is not possible to be more precise about the form in which the information was exchanged and when as we do not maintain records in a way that enables us to readily access this information.Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him on what date the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence received the last quantity of nerve agent VX from the United States Department of Defense, which United States Department of Defense establishment supplied the quantity of nerve gas; what safety precautions were taken during the transfer of the nerve agent: and which United States safety authorities, British safety authorities and British local councils were informed beforehand of the transfer of this 517W nerve agent (Question 6, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to have available small quantities of the materials which may be used as chemical or biological warfare agents by a potential aggressor.
3. The last transfer of VX from the United States of America took place in June 1967 for a collaborative trial at Porton Down on downwind hazard evaluation and the material was provided and shipped by Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, The transfer took place by US military aircraft into Mildenhall, Suffolk. The material was shipped in a sealed container as a Class A poison under the regulations prescribed by the interstate Commerce Commission and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency. The shipment was escorted by a 3 man escort equipped with protective clothing and detection and decontamination equipment. It was then transferred to the then Chemical Defence Establishment, Porton Down by road convoy in accordance with the regulations in force at the time in the United Kingdom. These would have included notifying the relevant Police Forces of the operation and the provision of additional escorts, including a police vehicle. Safety precautions were applied to this transfer in accordance with the appropriate standards at that time.
Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him how the workings of the Basic Standardisation Agreement between the British, American and Canadian armies were affected by the British decision to give up offensive work on chemical and biological weapons (Question 8. Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. The Basic Standardisation Agreement between the American, British and Canadian armies promotes cooperation and interoperability through standardisation amongst the armies of the three Nations. As the agreement is a broad one and is not specific to chemical and biological aspects, the effect of the UK decision to give up offensive work on chemical and biological weapons was that such UK information ceased to be produced and could not be exchanged.Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him how often the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada have met under the terms of the 1980 Memorandum of Understanding on Chemical and Biological Defence; and what were the dates and locations of each of these meetings (Question 9, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. The aim of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Chemical and Biological Defence is to integrate the programmes of the three countries to the maximum possible extent. The Steering Group under the MOU meets annually whilst the Programme Officers and Requirements Officers meet at six monthly intervals. In addition, experts from the three countries meet under the aegis of the MOU to address specific topics on an as required basis.3. The Steering. Group meets in rotation usually at the headquarters of the respective Departments of Defence. The Group has met twelve times as follows:518W
Date Location 30 June 1981 United States of America 23 March 1983 United Kingdom 11 April 1984 Canada 24 September 1984 United Kingdom 21 November 1985 United States of America 5 June 1986 Canada 24 September 1987 United Kingdom 18 November 1988 United States of America 6 October 1989 United Kingdom 12 October 1990 Canada 25 October 1991 United States of America 24 November 1992 United Kingdom 4. The Programme Officers and Requirement Officers (PRO/RD) of each of the three countries meet at six monthly intervals in one of the countries in turn. These meetings usually take place at the respective chemical and biological defence establishments ie. the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down, the Defence Research Establishment at Suffield, Canada, and the United States Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command at Edgewood, Maryland. The dates of these meetings were as follows:
Date Location 17 December 1980 United Kingdom 21–22 October 1981 United Kingdom United States of America/ 3–8 June 1982 Canada 13–14 October 1982 United Kingdom 21–23 March 1983 United Kingdom 26–27 May 1983 United States of America 9–10 April 1984 Canada 11–12 September 1984 United States of America 11–13 March 1985 United Kingdom 1–3 October 1985 Canada 17–19 March 1986 United States of America 29 September-1 October 1986 United Kingdom 27–29 April 1987 Canada 9–11 September 1987 United States of America 22–24 March 1988 United Kingdom 27–29 September 1988 Canada 3–5 April 1989 United States of America 19–21 September 1989 United Kingdom 30 April-2 May 1990 Canada 18–20 September 1990 United States of America 19–21 March 1991 United Kingdom 10–12 September 1991 Canada 24–26 March 1992 United States of America 15–17 September 1992 United Kingdom 23–25 March 1993 Canada Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him what tests and studies his Department has carried out using the organism pasteurella tularensis; when and where these experiments took place; and if the results of this scientific activity were exchanged with the United States of America, Canada and Australia (Question 10, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. Tests and studies on the organism Pasteurella tularensis (now known as Francisella tularensis) have been carried out since the early 1950s by the then Microbiological Research Department, subsequently by the Microbiological Research Establishment, Porton Down until its closure in 1979 and since then by the Chemical Defence Establishment, now the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down. Whilst some of the initial work had relevance to the feasibility of a retaliatory biological warfare capability, all 519W offensive work ceased in the late 1950s and since then work on this organism has been in support of the programme to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat the biological weapons may be used against them.3. The information gained has been the subject of information exchange and collaboration with the United States of America, Canada and Australia on a continuing basis. This information was exchanged under the aegis of the defence agreements referred to by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, The Right Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP, in his reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–256.Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him how many scientific papers co-authored by scientists from the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down and their counterparts in the United States of America military have been published since 1979; what were the dates of these papers; and which scientific journals they were published (Question 11, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. Our records show that the following scientific papers have been co-authored by scientists from the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down and our counterparts in the United States of America defense establishments since 1979;
- a. Identification of encapsulated and non-encapsulated Yersinia pestis by immunofluorescence tests using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies.
- Epidem Ire nf. 101, (1988), 59–73
- b. An investigation of possible models for the production of progressive pulmonary fibrosis in the rat. The effects of repeated intratracheal instillation of bleomycin.
- Toxicology, 51, (1988), 101–110.
- c. A model for carbamate and organophosphate-induced enemiis in humans.
- Neuroscience and Biobehavoural Reviews, Vol.15, (1991), pp 179–184.
- d. Identification of Bacillus anthracis by polyclonal antibodies against extracted vegetative cell antigens.
- Journal of Applied Bacteriology, 66, (1989), 419–432.
- e. Detection of Spores of Bacillus anthracis using the Polymerase Chain Reaction.
- Journal of Infectious Diseases,/65 (1992), 1145–8.
Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him what experiments his Department has carried out on the chemical agent phencyclidine; when and where the experiments were carried out; and if the results of the experiments were exchanged with the United States of America, Canada or Australia (Question 12, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.3. Research into phencyclidine at the then Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down started in 1963 with a study to assess the behavioural effects of phencyclidine in rats and to compare the results with other Psychotomimetics including LSD. The information gained has formed part of the chemical and biological defence programme which has been the subject of information exchange and collaboration with the United States Department of Defense on a continuing basis. This information was exchanged under the aegis of the defence 520W agreements referred to by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, The Rt. Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP, in his reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–256.Letter from G. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 12 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him what stocks of toxins have been transferred from the United States of America Department of Defense to the Ministry of Defence or British scientific research institutions since 1979; from which United States of America Department of Defense establishments these toxins have been transferred; and under which international defence agreements these toxins have been transferred (Question 13, Order Paper 4 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to have available small quantities of the materials which may be used as chemical or biological warfare agents by a potential aggressor.3. Since 1979 a small quantity of shellfish toxin has been received from the US Army Chemical Research, Development and Engineering Center at Edgewood, Maryland as well as a small quantity of Clostridium perfringens beta-toxin from the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases. The quantities in both cases were extremely small and would not be regarded as stocks of toxins. These transfers from the United States of America Department of Defense to the Ministry of Defence and more specifically the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down took place under the defence agreements referred to by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, The Rt. Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP in his reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–256.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the work of the quadrupartite working party on nuclear biological and chemical defence of the United Kingdom—United States of America—Canada—Australia Armies agreement since 1978; on which dates and locations the working party has met; and which Ministry of Defence branches took part in these meetings.
§ Mr. AitkenThe quadripartite working party meets to negotiate and maintain agreements on standardisation of operational procedures and equipment.
Dates and locations of QWP meetings since 1978 are as follows:
Date Location 8–17 May 1978 Canada 30 October-8 November 1979 United States of America 12–21 May 1981 United Kingdom 3–9 November 1982 Australia 11–17 June 1984 Canada 12–18 November 1985 United States of America 17–23 June 1987 United Kingdom 19–25 October 1988 Australia 30 May-5 June 1990 Canada 8–15 October 1991 Australia 21–27 April 1993 United Kingdom Representatives of the following branches of my Department have attended the quadripartite working party:
Operational Requirements Branches: most recently, Director Operational Requirements (Joint Systems) and Director Clothing and Textiles.Researches Branches: Atomic Weapons Establishment and Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.521WArmy policy/concepts Branch: Director Doctrine Army now Director Land Warfare.Procurement Executive Branch: most recently, Programme Director Light weapons systems.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when information about the L9A1 hand-held aerosol dispenser was exchanged between Britain and other countries under the defence agreements outlined in theOfficial Report, 21 May 1992, columns 255–56.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNo such exchange took place.