asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 17 January (WA 278), what representations the Ministry of Defence has had since 24 September 2007 from Dr Malcolm Hooper, emeritus professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Sunderland, on the deaths and illnesses of veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf War; and what responses they are making to the questions posed by Dr Hooper in his reply to the department's letter to him dated 9 January. [HL3047]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans (Derek Twigg) will write to my noble friend setting out the position regarding recent letters from Professor Malcolm Hooper. In broad terms, however, these letters do not raise substantive new points on Gulf veterans' illnesses that would affect our understanding of their causes or the steps we might take to help those affected.