PORTON DOWN

Early day motion 548, tabled 11 December 2001 by Bill Wiggin (Conservative). Signed by 3 members.

That this House notes that members of the armed forces, including Mr Deans of Stapleford, Broxtowe, who had volunteered to help in research on colds, were in the 1950's subjected unknowlingly to mustard gas and nerve gas by Porton Down researchers; welcomes the ongoing inquiry by the Wiltshire Constabulary; further welcomes the consideration being given by the Ministry of Defence to an independent study to assess what effects this treatment had on their health but expresses its horror that experiments of this type, previously known only in wartime Japan and Germany, could have been conducted in Britain on unwitting servants of the Crown; and urges that the conclusion of the police inquiries be succeeded if necessary by a public inquiry to establish who was responsible and at what level the experiments were authorised.

Signatures by party: Conservative 1, Labour 1, Scottish National Party 1.