Forum Brief: Gulf War Syndrome

Defence minister Ivor Caplin has told Monday's Times there is still no evidence of any single factor or syndrome linking veterans' illnesses to the 1991 Gulf War.

The ministry had said in a written parliamentary answer that a few weeks before the war started the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control had given a warning of the potential hazards of injecting troops with a combination of anthrax and whooping cough vaccines.

A spokeswoman for the MoD told ePolitix.com: "The Ministry of Defence takes the issue of 'Gulf War Syndrome' very seriously and remains committed to the principles of the 1997 New Beginnings document which are medical help, openness and research."

Forum Response: Royal British Legion

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion told ePolitix.com: "The written answer given to Lord Morris of Manchester by Lord Bach on October 9 gave rise immediately to a number of concerns.

"The Legion has now had time to carefully consider the reply with Lord Morris, the Legion's longstanding adviser on such matters, resulting in him tabling a further 15 questions in the House of Lords.

"It is notable that Mike Hancock, MP for Portsmouth South has independently tabled questions along similar lines in the House of Commons.

"The Legion is determined to find out exactly what happened with regard to the administration of vaccines at the time of the 1990/91 deployment of forces to the Gulf, what were the considerations regarding the licensing and safety of the drugs used and the combinations in which they were administered.

"In the Legion's view these further, unanswered issues only serve to emphasise the need for a Public Inquiry, for which it has been calling since 1999."