§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have contacted the Porton Down volunteers helpline since February 1998. [14761]
§ Dr. MoonieSince February 1998 the helpline has received requests for information relating to 750 individuals.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, are employed to answer queries in the form of letters and telephone calls by former service personnel about experiments in which they took part. [14760]
§ Dr. MoonieCurrently, two full-time and three part-time members of Porton Down staff work exclusively on volunteer inquiries. Additionally, five other members of staff devote a significant proportion of their time to volunteer issues.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make ex-gratia compensation payments to service volunteers who took part in experiments at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, because they believed that they were volunteering for common cold research; and if he will make a statement. [14835]
§ Dr. MoonieNo. Despite in-depth searches of the Ministry of Defence archive, no evidence has been found to substantiate the allegation that volunteers were recruited under the pretext that they were attending Porton Down for common cold research. Indeed, Porton Down has never conducted work on the common cold.
11W
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have visited the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, to inspect records of their experiments and discuss their test with members of staff since 6 April. [14752]
§ Dr. MoonieSince 6 April 2001, staff at Dstl Porton Down have hosted visits from seven former Porton Down volunteers.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the War Pensions Agency is being kept informed of the plans to set up an epidemiological study to explore the health of volunteers who took part in experiments at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down; and what meetings have taken place between the War Pensions Agency and(a) the Medical Research Council and (b) the Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit with regard to this matter. [14763]
§ Dr. MoonieThe War Pensions Agency is aware of the planned research but has not been involved in meetings with the Medical Research Council or the Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit on this matter.
The Agency's core function is delivery of the War Pensions Scheme, with decisions on war pensions claims based on case specific facts, the relevant law and contemporary medical understanding.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times since 9 April staff at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, have supplied information about former volunteers to the War Pensions Agency in response to claims for disablement by such individuals. [14764]
§ Dr. MoonieSince 9 April 2001, Dstl Porton Down has supplied information relating to 25 individuals following requests for information from the War Pensions Agency.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 May 2001,Official Report, columns 415–16W, regarding Porton Down, if his Department's officials conducting the comprehensive survey of the service volunteer programme at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, have made a decision on whether to interview (a) former scientists and staff at Porton Down who conducted the experiments and (b) former service personnel who took part in the experiments. [14751]
§ Dr. MoonieNo decision has yet been taken.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Professor Ian Kennedy will meet representatives of the Operation Antler team of Wiltshire Police as part of his supervision of the comprehensive survey of the service volunteer programme at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down. [14756]
§ Dr. MoonieProfessor Kennedy is acting in a supervisory and advisory role with respect to the comprehensive survey. It would not ordinarily be part of such a role to have discussions with representatives of a police investigation team, and thus Professor Kennedy has no plans to do so.
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§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2001,Official Report, columns 936–37W, regarding Porton Down, if he will place in the Library papers relating to the War Pensions Agency's decision of 19 February. [14745]
§ Dr. MoonieI am withholding this information under Exemption 2 (Internal discussion and advice) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a list of the titles and dates of films held by the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down, which recorded the establishment's trials with the chemical agents CS and CR tear gas in the 1960s and 1970s. [14798]
§ Dr. MoonieI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 May 2001,Official Report, column 197W. An attempt to collate a list even of the trials involving the tear gases CS and CR undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he Will place in Library a list of the(a) common and (b) chemical names of the eight nerve agents which have been tested on service volunteers at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, during the service volunteer programme; and how many service volunteers were tested with each of the nerve agents. [14754]
§ Dr. MoonieThe eight nerve agents known to have been used in trials involving volunteers at Porton Down, together with their common and chemical names, are as follows:
GA; common name, Tabun; chemical name, O-ethyl N-dimethyl phosphoramidocyanate:
GB; common name, Sarin; chemical name, O-isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate:
GD; common name, Soman; chemical name, O-pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate:
GE; common name, Ethyl sarin; chemical name, O-isopropyl ethylphosphonofluoridate:
GF; no common name; chemical name, O-cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate:
VX; no common name; chemical name, O-ethyl-S-[2(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate: and radio-labelled versions of GB and VX.
At present there are no definitive figures detailing the numbers of service volunteers who have been exposed to each of these agents. It is hoped that these details will become apparent during the forthcoming epidemiological study, which is being overseen by the Medical Research Council. It is intended that the results from this study will be published in the open literature.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, in 1972 entitled, The Effect of Wind Speed on the Mitogenic Potency of GB and VX Valpour. [14759]
§ Dr. MoonieThis report is still classified as confidential and contains information which could have a direct bearing on operational effectiveness. I am therefore 13W withholding this information in the interests of national security in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down in 1984 entitled, Experience in Man with Nerve Agents with Reference to Generalised Symptoms—A Review and Proposals for Further Experiments. [14758]
§ Dr. MoonieThis report is still classified and contains information which would be of use to a potential aggressor or terrorist. I am therefore withholding this information in the interests of national security in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.