§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the delays in providing Written Answers to Questions, and replies to letters from Members of Parliament and the public, by the Ministry of Defence would be reduced by the appointment of additional staff to the Gulf War illness unit; and, if so, whether they would make the necessary appointments. [HL2334]
§ Lord GilbertThe Government have made it clear that they are committed to addressing Gulf veterans' concerns, and they have devoted significant resources to ensuring that questions from the veterans, or those asked on their behalf, are properly researched and considered.
In preparing their answers on this issue, the Government seek to be as informative as possible and have waived the normal practice of declining to answer questions where the relevant information is not held centrally, or where to do so would require disproportionate costs to be incurred. The MoD Gulf Veterans' Illness Unit has been allocated the necessary resources, including 35 staff, to deal with questions and letters from MPs and the public, and to deal with its other roles. Whenever the preparation of a response to a question or letter requires more time, we let the enquirer know that further work is needed.
The Government are determined that responses should be as thorough as possible, and aim to reply to questions and letters as expeditiously as possible.