HL Deb 17 November 1997 vol 583 cc61-2WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they or any members of the Defence Staff, staff at the Defence and Evaluation Research Agency (DERA), Porton Down, or any civil servants are aware that members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces who served in Operation Granby have tested positive to the adjuvant MF59, squalene and to GP120 and GP160; and

Whether any vaccine, tablet or other medication used as part of the medical countermeasures programme before and during Operation Granby contained either viral DNA or bacterial DNA; and

Whether any medication or injection used as part of the medical countermeasures before and during Operation Granby contained the adjuvant MF59, squalene or any part of the HIV organism such as GP 120 or GP160.

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert)

None of the medical countermeasures used to protect British troops from the threat posed by Iraqi chemical and biological weapons during the Gulf War was in any way genetically engineered, nor did they contain any unlicensed experimental components. Specifically, they did not contain any added MF59, squalene or any part of the HIV organism. In common with many vaccines, those used as part of the countermeasures programme would have contained either viral or bacterial DNA.

The Ministry of Defence is aware that tests by researchers on Gulf veterans in the US are reported as having detected the presence of various substances. However, the Government have not yet seen any formal results from these tests and therefore have no knowledge of whether British veterans were involved in any of them. We continue to monitor new research on all aspects of Gulf War veterans' illnesses as this is published.