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Cold comfort

1. The UK Government has hinted that Gulf War veterans might get compensation for any illnesses they may have suffered - depending on the results of new research due to be carried out over the next year.

The Armed Forces minister, Doug Henderson, told the BBC: “There are a number of other studies which are due to be published in the next 12 months and I have to make an assessment following those studies but I can say I am not unsympathetic.”

He added: “Once we’ve seen the other studies, if there is then a consensus on what the disease or illness is and how it can be treated then we've got to put the resources in to do that. If that means then that there is a case for compensation then it will be up to the lawyers to sort that out.”

He added that the government would look at funding more research. “If there are any other scientists who have any other approaches they want to adopt, if they approach us with a programme for research then we would be happy to look at funding, providing of course that the Medical Research Council believe it's a sensible way forward.”

But these words were cold comfort to veteran Andrew Horner who doubted the minister’s commitment to the welfare of sick veterans.

Mr Horner said that the longer veterans had to wait for any compensation, the less of them there would be alive to benefit from it. “The current death figure is in excess of 400 already,” he said.