§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if an independent expert will be able to analyse the data from medical assessment programme consultations involving Porton Down volunteers to assess whether patterns of ill-health are associated with particular exposures; [142417]
(2) if he will list the ways in which the Ministry of Defence will publicise the offer of a thorough medical assessment to the service personnel who have taken part in trials at Porton Down. [142416]
§ Dr. MoonieData about specific individuals referral to the Medical Assessment Programme will be medically confidential. However, it is planned to aggregate and anonymise the data to form a case series for analysis. Such data could, with volunteers' consent, be made available to independent researchers, as has been the case with equivalent data relating to Gulf Veterans.
I announced on 21 November 2000, Official Report, columns 101–02W, a number of measures, including the offer of a thorough medical assessment for Porton Down Volunteers. The announcement was accompanied by a Ministry of Defence Press Release which is available on my Department's website. The announcement generated some interest in the national media. Wiltshire police have kindly sent out on our behalf details of the Medical Assessment Programme with approximately 400 of their letters to volunteers. All letters sent by Porton Down in response to former volunteers' inquiries and by MOD on this subject mention the medical assessment programme where appropriate. Callers to our Helplines will also be made aware of the Medical Assessment Programme. We have also invited the Volunteers' legal representative to publicise details. My Department will set up a website specifically for Porton Down volunteers early in the New Year which will also contain details. We plan to revise and re-issue the MOD leaflet intended for Porton Down Volunteers which was first produced in February 1998. The Porton Down Veterans Support Group also has been sent details, as too has the Royal British Legion. The Department of Health has taken steps to alert the NHS and GPs to the programme.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the contact address and telephone number of the Porton Down Veterans Support Group will be added to the leaflet and website which publicises the Porton Down Volunteers Helpline run by the Defence and Evaluation Research Agency; [142413]
(2) if the Defence and Evaluation Research Agency will undertake to include the contact address and telephone number of the newly-formed Porton Down Veterans Support Group in all letters which are sent to volunteers in response to queries about their participation in trials. [142414]
221W
§ Dr. MoonieMy Department has not been asked to publicise details of the Porton Down Veterans Support Group.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Public Record Office a copy of the document "possible long-term sequelae of exposure to nerve agents-a retrospective survey" (CDE Technical Note 1010, August 1989); [142384]
(2) for what reasons the Chemical Defence Establishment Porton Down initiated the survey of the health of service volunteers exposed to nerve agents which was reported in the document "possible long-term sequelae of exposure to nerve agents-a retrospective survey" (CDE Technical Note 1010) in August 1989. [142383]
§ Dr. MoonieI have today arranged for a copy of the document to which the hon. Member refers to be placed in the Library of the House. Consideration as to whether or not the document should be placed in the Public Records Office will be given under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 and 1967.
The work which led to CDE Technical Note 1010 was a small scale study initiated by staff at Porton Down. This was intended to identify any long-term health effect of exposure to nerve agents during the volunteer programme. The work did not reveal any increased incidence of ill health among the volunteers.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the number of individuals who have been exposed to nerve agents at the Chemical Defence Establishment, Porton Down. [142411]
§ Dr. MoonieMy Department estimates that 3,400 volunteers may have taken part in nerve agent studies at Porton Down, although it is probable that not all of these volunteers were exposed to nerve agents as some would have worn protective equipment or been involved as part of control groups. We plan to research the records to establish the definitive numbers, which will be published in due course.