Porton Down Volunteers (Hansard, 22 November 2000)

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The Minister of Defence is taking a number of steps designed to help those who participated as volunteers in trials at Porton Down. The Ministry of Defence is very grateful to all those whose participation in studies at Porton Down made possible the research to provide safe and effective protection for UK Armed Forces against chemical and biological weapons. Suggestions have been made that some Porton Down volunteers suffer unusual patterns of ill health because of their participation. The Ministry of Defence has seen no scientific evidence to support that belief but takes such suggestions seriously. Therefore we are:

Offering volunteers the opportunity for a thorough medical assessment if they have concerns about their health. This will be along the lines of the Gulf Veterans medical assessment programme and will use the same facilities at St. Thomas' Hospital, London. The data from these consultations will be analysed to explore whether patterns of ill health are associated with particular exposures;

Seeking advice from the Medical Research Council on an independent epidemiological study. Such a study may help establish whether or not former volunteers are suffering from excesses of ill health as compared to a matched group of service personnel who did not participate in trials at Porton Down;

Creating a multi-disciplinary policy focus within the Ministry of Defence which will be responsible for addressing volunteers' health concerns and liaising with other government departments;

Approaching this issue with openness and a commitment to dialogue with volunteers and their representatives;

Making public any information which may be of assistance to former volunteers. The current arrangements for the Porton helpline will remain in being. All volunteers who approach it will be given full information by letter on their own trials and offered the opportunity to examine the records for themselves at the site;

Continuing to fully co-operate and provide assistance to the ongoing Wiltshire Police inquiry into trials at Porton Down.

The policy focus for Porton Down volunteers issues will be provided by the Ministry of Defence's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit (GVIU). The GVIU will be resourced to take on this important new responsibility and there will be no detriment to the ongoing Ministry of Defence commitment to assist Gulf veterans.