Politics: Questions and Answers

Gulf War illness to be reviewed

THE GOVERNMENT will fund an independent review of worldwide published research relating to Gulf veterans' illnesses.

The review will be carried out by a team led by Professor Glyn Lewis at the University of Wales and will cost pounds 75,000, Dr Andrew Reed, defence minister, told Michael Hancock (Lib Dem, Portsmouth South.)

Travel costs rise

THE COST of overseas travel by Scottish Office ministers has risen by more than pounds 28,000 in the past three years, Donald Dewar, Secretary of State for Scotland, said. Costs for ministers' trips abroad in 1997-98 totalled pounds 95,260.

pounds 2bn finance deals

PRIVATE FINANCE Initiative contracts signed since May 1997 are worth a total of pounds 2,085bn, Geoffrey Robinson, Paymaster General, told Stephen Timms (Lab, East Ham).

Missing winners

JUST OVER pounds 223m of National Lottery prize money has been left unclaimed, the culture minister Tony Banks disclosed in a written answer. He said the largest single unclaimed prize was just over pounds 2m.