§ 23. Mr. SutcliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department is spending on research into the illnesses of Gulf war veterans. [70514]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonThe Ministry of Defence's portfolio of research into Gulf veterans' illnesses matters currently comprises two major epidemiological studies, a neuromuscular systems study, an independent review of research literature and a programme to investigate possible interactions between the medical countermeasures which were used during the 1990–91 Gulf conflict. So far, about £1.9 million has been spent on these studies and we estimate that they will cost a further £4 million to complete.