HC Deb 04 February 2000 vol 343 cc742-3W
Mr. Malins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what arrangements for the award of war pensions and other forms of compensation apply to(a) military personnel and (b) British civilians (i) contracted and (ii) seconded to the forces who served in the war theatre during the Gulf conflict; [107279]

(2) if he will compensate British civilians seconded or contracted to the forces in the war theatre during the Gulf conflict who have subsequently become ill as a result of their secondment. [107282]

Mr. Spellar

For Armed Forces personnel, there are two schemes to compensate for death or injury caused by Service: the War Pension Scheme (WPS) administered by the DSS, and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) administered by MOD. When both Departments accept that the death or injury is attributable to service, benefits are payable from both schemes. In addition to pension arrangements, compensation is also payable from the MOD if it can be proved that an individual's death or injury was caused by negligence by the Department. This compensation system is applied to injuries or death in wartime, but the Department is not required to pay common law compensation if the injury or death occurred where the claimant was actively engaging the enemy. Individuals injured or killed in this scenario receive benefits from the WPS and the AFPS.

In regard to civilians, civil servants are covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). This provides for the payment of death and injury benefits to those who are killed or sustain injuries attributable to their duties. Civilians who are employees of contractors do not participate in the PCSPS (or the AFPS or WPS), but would be entitled to common law compensation where the Department was liable. MOD civil servants are also entitled to seek common law compensation from their employer.

Mr. Malins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British civilians(a) seconded and (b) contracted to Her Majesty's forces in the war theatre during the Gulf conflict were subsequently tested for (i) depleted uranium and (b) other uranium; and with what results. [107281]

Mr. Spellar

My Department's policy on testing Gulf veterans was published in "Testing for the presence of depleted uranium in UK veterans of the Gulf conflict: The Current Position" dated 19 March 1999, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Under this policy, as at 31 January 2000, my Department had arranged for one civilian veteran's urine to be tested at two laboratories. The results from one laboratory using neutron activation methods showed that the uranium-235 concentration was less than 0.0053 micrograms per litre (µ/1) of urine. The concentration of natural uranium was less than 0.73 µ/1 and that the concentration of depleted uranium (uranium -235 content of about 0.2 per cent.) was less than 2.6 µ/1. This result represented the limits of detection by the method used. If uranium was present it was below these concentrations. The second laboratory's results using a different method (Laser Phosphorimetry) were that total uranium concentration was 0.0052 (+/- 0.00076) µ/1. Both sets of test results show that uranium, in any form, is not a contributory factor to the patient's ill-health.

Mr. Malins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British civilians(a) seconded and (b) contracted to Her Majesty's forces in the war theatre during the Gulf conflict have subsequently suffered from (a) post-traumatic stress disorder, (b) nephrotic syndrome and (c) other kidney or renal problems. [107283]

Mr. Spellar

My Department has no mechanisms in place for routinely monitoring the health of its civilian employees, ex-employees, contractors' employees or foreign nationals. However, civilians who provided direct support to British Forces in theatre during the Gulf conflict can be referred by their GP for examination at the MOD's Medical Assessment Programme (MAP). As at 27 January 2000, 63 civilians who went to the Gulf had been seen by MAP physicians. Of these: two were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; one had nephrotic syndrome; and none were diagnosed with kidney or renal problems, other than nephrotic syndrome.

Mr. Malins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the number of British civilians seconded or contracted to Her Majesty's Forces in the war theatre during the Gulf conflict who were exposed to uranium. [107303]

Mr. Spellar

[holding answer 1 February 2000]: We have no such estimate.

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