HC Deb 08 June 1999 vol 332 cc207-8W
Mr. David Heath

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what investigations have been undertaken into the physical rather than epidemiological aspects of illnesses exhibited by Gulf War veterans; [84354]

(2) what research has been undertaken into appropriate treatments for illness exhibited by Gulf war veterans. [84353]

Mr. Doug Henderson

The Government have pledged that appropriate research will be carried out into Gulf veterans' illnesses. In addition to two major epidemiological studies, the Ministry of Defence has in place a neuromuscular symptoms study. This study involves carrying out clinical tests on UK Gulf veterans. A separate study is examining the possible interactions between the various medical countermeasures used to protect UK personnel during the Gulf conflict, which includes laboratory research involving animals. These four research studies are complemented by an independent review of relevant research literature. A further study, which is being funded by the United States Government, is being undertaken by King's College, London. This study includes clinical tests on UK Gulf veterans.

Any UK Gulf veterans concerned about their health can seek a referral to the Gulf veterans' Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) for advice and a full medical. The assessment comprises various standard investigations and any further tests considered clinically appropriate by the MAP physician to provide as full a diagnosis as possible of any medical symptoms which a patient may be exhibiting. MAP physicians provide diagnostic information and recommend any appropriate treatment to the veteran's doctor. It is the veteran's doctor's responsibility to arrange any treatment and to monitor progress. A paper on the clinical findings from the first 1,000 patients seen by the MAP was published in the "British Medical Journal" on 30 January. A copy of this paper has already been placed in the Library of the House.

There is now strong scientific evidence, following the publication of a number of research papers over recent months, that Gulf veterans report more ill-health than other comparable groups. A further hypothesis, that Gulf veterans are not all suffering from a single illness, seems to be gaining support. However, there is still no medical or scientific consensus about the aetiology of the illnesses being suffered by some Gulf veterans. Nevertheless, the need for further research work in the light of emerging study findings in the UK and elsewhere (most notably from the United States), is kept under regular review by the Ministry of Defence and by the Medical Research Council (MRC), which advises the Government on its overall strategy for Gulf health issues. So far, the MRC has not recommended that the Ministry of Defence commissions research into possible treatments.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Defence is aware that the United States Government announced in March that it would be beginning two medical treatment trials—an antibiotic treatment trial and exercise-behavioural therapy—in April to evaluate possible therapeutic approaches to improving Gulf veterans' health. The Ministry of Defence will monitor the outcome of these trials.