§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 9 October {WA 67), whether the Ministry of Defence is satisfied that the current study into the administration of anthrax vaccine, now being carried out at Porton Down, accurately replicates the intervals between doses as used in 1990–91 and the conditions under which the vaccine was given. [HL5111]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)An independent panel of experts oversees the Ministry of Defence funded Vaccines Interactions Research Programme being undertaken by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down. I assume this research programme is the study to which my noble friend refers. The purpose of this research is to establish whether combinations of vaccines, including anthrax, administered with and without pyridostigmine bromide, give rise to adverse health effects. The vaccinations Gulf veterans received, their timing, the environmental and other conditions pertaining at the time of administration varied and to replicate all of the different scenarios would be impractical. The research vaccination schedule attempts to reflect a valid "worse case". This research does not address the numerous other factors that have been suggested as possible causes or contributors to Gulf veterans' illnesses. To do so would have increased the size of the research programme considerably and confounded the interpretation of the results. The independent panel is responsible for ensuring that this complex, carefully controlled scientific research programme, conducted under laboratory conditions, is carried out to the highest scientific standards and that the aims of the research programme are fully addressed.