§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will reply to the Written Question [HL1825] by the Countess of Mar dated 7 May; and why an answer to this question was published on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph dated 7 June. [HL3022]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert)An answer to the Written Question was sent to the noble Countess on 24 July (Official Report, 27 July, WA 173–174). The Question was not answered within the usual 14-day deadline because it required the central collation and verification of relevant data about the anthrax immunisation programme, which was 290WA obtained from various locations in the UK, Germany and the Gulf region.
In connection with an article which ultimately appeared in the Sunday Telegraph on 7 June, the Ministry of Defence was asked by a journalist what the actual rate of uptake of anthrax immunisation in the Gulf had been. At that time the only available data were an assessment, made in early April, that 27 per cent. of personnel who had been offered an initial dose of anthrax vaccine whilst serving in the Gulf theatre had accepted it. This information was provided to the journalist. It was not used as the basis for the answer to the Written Question as it excluded those individuals who were being offered anthrax immunisation at locations in the UK and Germany prior to moving out to the Gulf region.