House of Commons Hansard Debates for 15 Feb 1995

Mr. Soames: Figure 2 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1994 lists the British military units deployed to the Falkland Islands. It is not our practice to reveal precise details of the numbers of personnel involved. We keep force levels in the Falkland Islands under review and, if the need arises, the garrison can be reinforced at very short notice using the airfield at Mount Pleasant.

Consultants

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions during the last five years when his Ministry or its agencies has taken legal action against a consultancy firm; and what were the reasons in each case.

Mr. Freeman: I am not aware of any such actions.

Public Appointments

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report, column 451, how many appointments to public positions have been made by his Department in the last year.

Mr. Soames: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Haymes Garth

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what grounds he has decided not to publish the independent investigation by KPMG Peat Marwick into the official residence known as Haymes Garth.

Mr. Soames: I have made a full report to Parliament on this matter, and do not believe it would be appropriate to publish the report by KPMG Peat Marwick, which is confidential and was prepared for the use of senior management and Ministers.

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 10 February to the hon. Member for Fareham (Sir P. Lloyd), Official Report , column 465 , if he will specify the occasions on which the

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House was provided with wrong information concerning expenditure on Sir Sandy Wilson's official residence, Haymes Garth; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames: The two occasions on which the House was provided with incorrect information on this subject were in the answers given by the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. J. Hanley), first to the hon. Member on 9 February 1994, Official Report , columns 362 63 , which put the figure at some £250,000, and, subsequently to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Jones) on 29 March, Official Report , column 732 , which gave a figure of around £260,000. In his answer to the hon. Member for Dorset, West (Sir J. Spicer) on 4 July 1994, Official Report , column 85 , the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces provided the revised figure of £387,000 and expressed his regret that an incorrect figure had been given in the preceding answer.

Gulf War Veterans

Mrs. Currie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action is taken to ensure that ex-service men and women who have been assessed as suffering from medical conditions following their service in the Gulf war are followed up to ensure adequate care and treatment.

Mr. Soames: The health care of individuals who have left the armed forces is the responsibility of the NHS. In accordance with standard medical practice, and to ensure continuity of health care, the medical reports on those ex-service personnel assessed by my Department are therefore forwarded to the patient's general practitioner. These reports contain recommendations for further care where necessary.

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have returned for a second examination under his Department's Gulf war veterans' medical assessment programme.

Mr. Soames: Some 14 out of the 90 patients seen to date under the Department's Gulf medical assessment programme have attended for further examinations by the service consultant co-ordinating the programme on one or more occasions.

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for

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Defence how many people who have taken part in his Department's Gulf war veterans' medical assessment programme are (a) currently in the armed forces and (b) were in the armed forces at the time of their assessment but have since left the services.

Mr. Soames: Some 24 of the 90 patients seen to date were in the armed forces at the time of their assessment. Information relating to the number of individuals who may have left the services since being assessed is not readily available.

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which separate tests are incorporated into the examination of an individual under his Department's Gulf war veterans' medical assessment programme.

Mr. Soames: All tests offered to individuals coming forward for assessment are tailored to the particular requirements of each patient after considering the medical and occupational history, the reported symptoms and clinical signs found on initial examination. Possible tests include: full blood assay, radiological

examination--CT/MRI scan--electrocardiograph, endoscopy and psychiatric or psychometric assessment but further tests or referrals are available when required.

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much each examination of an individual under his Department's Gulf war veterans' medical assessment programme costs.

Mr. Soames: No separate or central record of the cost of the assessments under this programme is maintained.

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have been referred to a second doctor for examination under his Department's Gulf war veterans' medical assessment programme.

Mr. Soames: Current records show that 48 out of the 90 individuals seen to date have been referred to another consultant following initial assessment.

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the projected total cost of his Department's Gulf war veterans' medical assessment programme.

Mr. Soames: The assessments do not form a separately funded programme and their total costs would, in any case, depend upon final numbers of those coming forward, which are still uncertain.

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