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Written Answers
Monday, 10th January 2000.
Service Personnel in the Middle East: Pork Supplies
Lord Monson asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have banned the provision of pork to British military personnel serving in the Middle East; and, if so, which countries if any, have demanded such a ban.[HL479]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): British service personnel are currently deployed in the Middle East in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Food supplies for these personnel are procured under local arrangements. Her Majesty's Government have not banned the provision of pork to British military personnel serving in the Middle East or in any other theatre of operation but abide by the requirements of the host nation. The import of pork is not permitted in Bahrain, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia on religious grounds and is therefore not available to our personnel.
Vaccines Interaction Research Panel
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish the names of the members of the Independent Panel for the Assessment of Ministry of Defence Research on possible interactions between vaccines and pyridostigmine bromide, together with their current employment and interests.[HL466]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Independent Panel on Vaccines Interactions Research is chaired by Professor Donald Davies, Director of Clinical Pharmacology, Imperial College School of Medicine. The other panel members are: Professor J E Banatvala, recently retired from the Department of Virology, St Thomas's Hospital, London; Professor P Beverley, The Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research; Dr J Bird, Burden Neurological Hospital; Dr A Boylston, Molecular Medical Unit, St James's Hospital Leeds; Dr P Fawcett, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Newcastle; Professor A Grossman, Department of Endocrinology, St Bartholomew's Hospital; Professor Malcolm Hooper, Emeritus Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Sunderland; Dr Ian Kimber, Central Toxicology Laboratories Zeneca Ltd; Dr Norman Jones, Royal British Legion, London; Professor Stafford Lightman, Department of Medicine, Bristol Royal Infirmary; Dr Christopher Martyn, MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Southampton; Dr Elizabeth Miller, Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre, Colindale; Dr David Ray, Centre for Mechanisms of Human Toxicity, University of
Leicester; Professor E M Sedgwick, Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton; Professor A Silman, ARC Epidemiology Research Unit, Manchester University Medical School and Dr Geoffrey Schild, National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC).In order to avoid a conflict of interest, Dr Schild is not present at any discussions on NIBSC participation in the vaccines interactions programme. Professor Hooper and Dr Jones were nominated to the panel by Gulf veterans acting through the Royal British Legion.
Multiple Immunisations: Gulf War Practice
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the normal regime for the administration of live vaccines when more than one is required; and whether this was complied with when members of HM Armed Forces were treated prior to and during Operation Granby; and[HL467]
What is the normal practice for the administration of immunoglobulins in conjunction with other vaccines, particularly live vaccines; and whether this practice was complied with when members of HM Armed Forces were treated prior to and during Operation Granby.[HL468]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Ministry of Defence currently follows the guidance provided by the Department of Health (DOH) in its booklet: Immunisation against Infectious Disease; 1996. This guidance is communicated throughout the Department as part of Joint Service Publication (JSP) 311, the Joint Services Manual of Immunological Procedures. Chapter 7 of the DOH booklet discusses indications and contraindications. The guidance given is as follows:
- "7.5 Immunisation Intervals
- 7.5.1 Live virus vaccines, with the exception of yellow fever vaccine, should not be given during the three months following injection of immunoglobulin because the immune response may be inhibited. Human normal immunoglobulin obtained from UK residents is unlikely to contain antibody to yellow fever virus, which would inactivate the vaccine. In travellers, when time is short and there is a significant risk of exposure to polio, vaccine should be given even if immunoglobulin has been given at any time in the previous three months.
- 7.5.2 If it is necessary to administer more than one live vaccine at the same time, they should be given simultaneously in different sites (unless a combination preparation is used) or in theory be separated by a period of at least three weeks. There are no current data using presently available vaccines to support this recommendation, which came from earlier observations about "take rates" of smallpox vaccination; these may have been reduced if
- another live vaccine had been given shortly before smallpox vaccination. It probably has little relevance for intervals between oral polio vaccine and other presently used live virus vaccines. It is recommended that a three-week interval should be allowed between the administration of live virus vaccines, especially measles vaccine and tuberculin testing; there is experience that shows that measles infection or immunisation can give false negative results in tuberculin positive individuals. No interval needs to be observed between the administration of live and inactivated vaccines."
Polio Vaccine: Gulf War Veterans' Response
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether tests have been conducted on the response of Gulf veterans to different serotypes of polio vaccine; and, if they were, what were the results.[HL469]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Ministry of Defence has not conducted any tests on the response to polio vaccines by any Gulf veterans.
Anthrax and Pertussis Vaccines:Co-administration Research
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the research on mouse data recommended by the Independent Panel of the Ministry of Defence was commissioned from the National Institute for Biological Standards; whether the work has started; if it has, when are the results to be published; if it has not, when it is expected to start; and what is the cause of the delay.[HL470]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Proposals for research into the possible adverse effects of the co-administration of anthrax and pertussis vaccines in mice to be undertaken at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls (NIBSC) were agreed by the Independent Panel on Vaccines Interactions Research at a meeting on 30 March 1999. The work is expected to begin in June 2000 and take about two years to complete.
The commencement of work has been subject to delay because the Independent Panel suggested changes to the original protocol prepared by NIBSC, in view of the results from preliminary work undertaken at the DERA Chemical and Biological Defence site at Porton Down. This resulted in NIBSC submitting an amended protocol in July 1999. There
have since been further discussions between staff from CBD Porton Down and NIBSC about the revised protocol. NIBSC has considerable work commitments and because of resource limitations it will not now be possible to start work before June 2000.General Pinochet
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their estimate of the total value of business potentially lost to British firms excluded from tenders for future military equipment orders from Chile, following the arrest of General Pinochet.[HL280].
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are not aware of any British firm being excluded from any formal competition or tender process for future military equipment orders from Chile. As my noble friend Lord Hoyle indicated in his Answer to the noble Lord on 11 January (Official Report, col. WA5), the defence export market is a long-term one and it remains difficult to make a measured assessment about the extent of any impact following the arrest of General Pinochet.
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Royal Navy has had its use of Chilean ports or berthing facilities restricted or changed in any way since the arrest of General Pinochet.[HL462]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Chilean Government has not informed us of any restrictions on visits by Royal Navy ships to Chilean ports, or of any restrictions on access to berthing facilities.
"Operations": MoD Definition
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How the Ministry of Defence defines "operations".[HL166]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The British Defence Doctrine publication formally defines operations as "A military action or the carrying out of a strategic, tactical, service, training, or administrative military mission; the process of carrying on combat, including movement, supply, attack, defence and manoeuvre needed to gain the objectives of any battle or campaign". On a day-to-day basis we would nomally consider operations to cover a range of military activities which British Defence Doctrine lists as ranging from combat, through deterrence, support to diplomacy, peace-keeping, peace enforcement, home defence, military aid to the civil authorities and non-combatant evacuations, to humanitarian aid.
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