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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which dates the Minister of State for the Armed Forces visited the United States of America this year to investigate Gulf veterans' illnesses research; how many meetings he held with members and officials of the United States Government during this visit; and if he will list the dates and locations of each meeting and the names and Departments of the United States members and officials at each meeting. [93990] Mr. Spellar: On 26 February 1999, my predecessor as Minister of State for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson) attended a meeting on Gulf veterans' illnesses with the Senior Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs who was assisted by senior briefing officials from various US Departments. The meeting was held in the Old Executive Office Building, Washington DC. My predecessor also met the Deputy Secretary of Defense on 1 March. I am withholding the names of the US officials who attended the meetings above in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information (which relates to international relations) and Exemption 12 (which relates to privacy of an individual).

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

93990; 336 c699W

Session

1998-99

Subjects

Health hazards Iraq-Kuwait conflict Meetings Ministry of Defence Research USA Gulf War syndrome Veterans