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Gulf War Syndrome-MoD appealsTue, February 04, 2003Source: Ananova NewsA landmark ruling which officially recognised for the first time that Gulf War Syndrome does exist, has been challenged by the MoDA landmark ruling which officially recognised for the first time that Gulf War Syndrome does exist, has been challenged by the MoD in the High Court. It is appealing against a war pensions tribunal decision made in relation to former Parachute Regiment medical officer Shaun Rusling. He suffers from a range of illnesses and is said to be a victim of an identifiable syndrome attributable to his service in the 1991 conflict. The ruling, by a tribunal in Leeds last May, was hailed by thousands of Gulf War veterans as a significant development in their fight to force the MoD to accept their claim that their illnesses were caused by a common factor. More than 2,000 Gulf War veterans are waiting for the go-ahead to sue for compensation.However, the MoD has said, after numerous research studies in Britain and America, there is no evidence of a common illness directly attributable to the Gulf War. As the MoD's appeal opened in London, Paul Tyler MP, Liberal Democrat shadow leader of the House and a member of the Royal British Legion Gulf War Group, said the decision to resist the tribunal's ruling was "scandalous". "At a time when British troops are being prepared for a new war against Iraq, it is not only insensitive, but frankly scandalous that the MoD refuses to recognise the illnesses of Gulf War veterans," he said |
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