HC Deb 15 January 1996 vol 269 cc429-30W
Mr. Ainger

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions during the Gulf war there was an assessed threat of possible chemical agent attack which necessitated orders being given to service personnel to take nerve agent pre-treatment set tablets. [9604]

Mr. Soames

During the conduct of Operation Granby, which ran from 9 August 1990 to 11 April 1991, the assessed threat of chemical weapon attack in the theatre of operations was regarded as sufficiently high to necessitate the issuing of orders for nerve agent pre-treatment—NAPS—tablets to be taken during the period from 18 January 1991. following the start of the air war, to 1 March 1991, when hostilities ceased. The orders applied to all units and personnel in, or deploying into, theatre.