§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what resources have been made available to the Gulf Veterans Medical Assessment Programme for work from 1 September; what is the duration of Professor Harry Lee's contract; what is the total value of his contract; and if he will make a statement on the progress of the programme. [55421]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonThe Ministry of Defence has been running a Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) for Gulf veterans since Autumn 1993. In that time, over 2,600 patients have been seen by the Programme's physicians. A detailed paper covering the diagnostic results of the first 1,000 patients seen at the MAP has been submitted to an independent medical journal for publication. The MOD also plans to commission a thorough audit of the MAP later this year, focusing on all aspects of patient care and on the service it provides.
Following an open competition, Professor Harry Lee took up his post as Head of the MAP on 1 September this year. He has been employed on a two year fixed term appointment which, as is usual with contracts of this kind, is extendable. The salary range for the grade at which Professor Lee has been employed—Principal Medical Officer—is £41,606 to £64,346.
The annual cost of running the MAP is approximately Cm. This level of resources is appropriate to handle the current rate of new referrals to the Programme. Accordingly, no additional resources have been allocated to the MAP as a direct consequence of Professor Lee's appointment.
The MAP currently forms part of the Baird Health Centre at St. Thomas' Hospital, London.