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Shipbuilding Industry
7. Mr. Ben Chapman (Wirral, South): If he will make a statement on the role of the British shipbuilding industry as a supplier for his Department. [70497]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. John Spellar): British shipbuilding yards play an important role in supplying warships and major support vessels to the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The strategic defence review announced a large investment in the UK shipbuilding industry over the next 15 to 20 years through major warship programmes, including the future aircraft carrier, common new generation frigate and the future surface combatant. Those programmes will provide a secure long-term platform for the UK shipbuilding industry to continue to win work and increase its efficiency and competitiveness.
Mr. Chapman: Is my hon. Friend aware of the importance, both current and historical, of shipbuilding to the people of the Wirral? Will he join me in congratulating McTay Marine, a company in my constituency that recently obtained an order for three passenger transfer vessels for use in naval base areas; and will he join me in acknowledging the high quality of the vessels that the company has supplied to the MOD in the past? Does he accept that the people of the Wirral yearn for shipbuilding to be restored to the GEC Marine site at Cammell Laird? That is not in my constituency, but in the constituency of my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field); however, such a development would provide jobs and employment for and utilise the existing and growing skills of my constituents.
Mr. Spellar: Like my hon. Friend, I greatly welcome the regeneration of shipbuilding in the Wirral area.
We are also very much aware of the vital contribution that that industry has made in the past. I am sure that my hon. Friend will be pleased to know that arrangements have been made for an MOD team to visit Cammell Laird on 19 March to brief it about the aircraft carrier programme, with a view to assisting that fine company in becoming a potential participant in such programmes.
Mr. Michael Colvin (Romsey): In his first reply, the Minister did not mention ro-ro transport. I thought that the Ministry of Defence had plans to lease ro-ros. In confirming what those plans are and when they will come into force, will the Minister refer also to another heavy-lift leasing arrangement for C17 transport? Will those leases, which are for seven years, be converted into purchases at the end of the day and what will happen to the future large aircraft in the meantime?
Mr. Spellar: The hon. Gentleman should have probably asked the second part of his question later.
Madam Speaker: Thank you, Minister. That question was totally out of order. I shall proceed and call a Government Member who has a question about shipbuilding.
Dr. Norman A. Godman (Greenock and Inverclyde): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I remind my hon. Friend--if he needs any reminder--that there are three first-class yards on the Clyde: Ferguson's, Yarrow and Kvaerner. My constituents who are employed at Kvaerner sincerely hope that the company will secure the orders for the ro-ro vessels. Given that such vessels will be used by the MOD, will the Minister confirm that he will accept tenders only from United Kingdom yards--preferably from Kvaerner?
Mr. Spellar: We are keenly aware of the interest expressed by Kvaerner as part of a consortium. We have told any potential private finance initiative tenderers seeking to provide vessels that they will have to demonstrate to the MOD that UK build is being considered in any alternative proposals. We hope that British yards will submit competitive bids. My hon. Friend also mentioned Yarrow, which is an extremely successful warship yard that has constructed about 70 per cent. of ships since 1990. The future of British naval shipbuilding has good prospects, and we are working with the industry on that front.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing (Moray): When the Minister or MOD representatives meet the all-party delegation tomorrow to discuss the Kvaerner consortium bid, are we likely to receive a clear answer? A big problem facing people in the local area is continuing uncertainty.
Mr. Spellar: All bids are being considered and evaluated at this stage, so it would be premature to give any indication of the outcome. As I have said, we are very pleased with the interest that Kvaerner has shown. It is a very viable bid, but it would be premature to state whether one bid or another will be successful.
Gulf War Syndrome
8. Dr. David Clark (South Shields): If he will make a statement on the progress of his investigations into Gulf war syndrome. [70498]
The Minister for the Armed Forces (
Mr. Doug Henderson): A number of recently published research papers have presented strong scientific evidence that Gulf veterans report more illness than other comparable groups. That demonstrates the importance of the programme of work that the Ministry of Defence is already undertaking to address Gulf veterans' health concerns, which includes a portfolio of Ministry of Defence-funded scientific research. We are determined to do all that we can to understand why some veterans of the Gulf conflict are now ill.
Dr. Clark: I thank my hon. Friend for that answer and for the positive way in which the Government are addressing the incredibly complicated issue of Gulf war veterans who are clearly suffering from illnesses. The Minister will know that, according to convention, after six or seven years the onus of proof switches against the claimant--that is, the veterans. Will he assure the House today that that will not occur in the case of the Gulf war veterans?
Mr. Henderson: I recognise my right hon. Friend's interest and expertise in this subject. I am pleased to confirm that his interpretation is correct on this question.
Mr. Menzies Campbell (North-East Fife): Is it not time that we cut through all these legal and scientific obstacles and paid proper compensation to these men and women? They may not be able to satisfy the difficult tests of legal and scientific causation, but it is perfectly clear to anyone who has listened to or met them that many of the people who went to the Gulf perfectly healthy have returned extremely unfit. Is it not time that the Government made an exception, as we did for the haemophiliacs who contracted the HIV virus through no fault of their own but as a result of being given contaminated blood? Surely Gulf war veterans deserve that kind of exception. Should we not pay them compensation without their having to establish fault or negligence on the part of the Ministry of Defence?
Mr. Henderson: The Government have made it clear that if there is an obligation to pay compensation, the Government will ensure that compensation is paid. Already, as the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows, war pensions are applicable where certain persons who served in the Gulf seek to obtain them. It would be wrong if there was not equity of treatment, and the Government have a responsibility to make sure that people who have suffered in the service of the nation, wherever they served, are given that fair treatment. That must be the case, and it is right that it should be so. The Government's priority is not only to make sure that if compensation should be paid, it is paid, but to get to the bottom of what is wrong with people who served in the Gulf, why they are ill, what is the cause of their illness or illnesses, and what can be done to prevent this happening again.
Mr. Gerry Sutcliffe (Bradford, South): Even before we get to the issue of compensation, should we not be examining the availability and consistency of treatment for people suspected of suffering from Gulf war syndrome? There is much variation in the expertise of those identifying Gulf war syndrome across the country.
Will my hon. Friend consider with the war veteran organisations what can be done in the interests of consistency?
Mr. Henderson: As my hon. Friend knows, there is a medical assessment programme under which doctors will examine any illness being suffered by veterans and then make recommendations, often referring those veterans, with advice, to local doctors or other health care providers. I cannot go further than that, as I am sure my hon. Friend will understand. There is always a little difference in the treatment that doctors give, based on their own assessment of the difficulties being experienced by a particular individual. We have recently notified family doctors across the country of the potential illnesses with which people who served in the Gulf might approach them, and have made some suggestions on what treatment might be appropriate.
Mr. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield): The hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) spoke about variations in the treatment available in the United Kingdom. What contact is being made with the United States Department of Defense, which has also undertaken considerable research into Gulf war syndrome? Is the Minister aware that the depleted uranium used in armour-piercing warheads is not now considered to be the cause of Gulf war syndrome, and that the cause is more likely to be the cocktail of vaccinations given to troops prior to their entering the Gulf? What contact is being made with the United States, and is there a lesson to be learned?
Mr. Henderson: The hon. Gentleman has raised a valid point. People from the United States and from Britain who served in the Gulf are suffering from an illness or illnesses. There is continual dialogue between my Department and the appropriate Department in the United States. I have read as widely as I can about what various medical and scientific sources believe to be the cause of the illnesses being suffered. I shall be visiting Washington on Friday to have talks with the United States Government on the progress that they are making. I am a believer in joint projects, where appropriate, with the United States to try to get to the bottom of these problems.
Mr. Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): Can the Minister inform the House about the research being conducted by or for his Department into the possible contributory effect of depleted uranium contamination to Gulf war illnesses?
Mr. Henderson: The Department is supporting and in many cases financing wide-ranging research into the possible causes of the illness suffered by some veterans who served in the Gulf. As I stated in a written answer, I hope to publish a paper shortly on the testing system that would be applicable in this country if any Gulf veterans believe that they have suffered from the pollution of depleted uranium.
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