MANY MPs are furious at the prospect of paper records from the first world war being replaced by inadequate electronic ones or even destroyed. Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom and Ewell, wanted to know if the electronic records will contain all the information on the medals awarded to war combatants. And what, he asked, is being done to ensure that the records are not lost to posterity?
Replying on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, Ivor Caplin, the veterans minister in the last government, said that the National Archives at Kew have been looking for a suitable institution to house these index cards. So far, a home has been found only for a small part of them. What will happen to the rest has yet to be decided.
However, information from the front of the index cards dealing with medals has been microfilmed and is available to researchers at Kew and on the National Archives website. The reverse sides of the cards were not copied, because only about 1 per cent of the cards have information on the reverse.
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Microfilming is no substitute for the real thing. If the UK cannot find space to preserve a memorial to those who gave their lives in the Great War that is indeed sad.
COULD tea tree oil be the latest threat to humanity? Charles Hendry, MP for Wealden, asked health ministers what risks it presents. Replying for the Department of Health, Melanie Johnson, the minister for public health in the last government, told him that consumer products containing a stronger than 2 per cent solution of the essential oil run the risk of triggering an allergic reaction, particularly if the product is exposed to sunlight or high temperatures. However, the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Products has asked for a complete package of data before giving an opinion on the potential risks. Only then can the Cosmetics Directive be amended if necessary to make any restrictions on using tea tree oil in cosmetic products legally enforceable. In the meantime, industry has been advised that tea tree oil should be used in cosmetic products only at concentrations below 1 per cent, and should be formulated and packaged so as to minimise degradation.
Johnson said that 15 licensed medicinal products that contain tea tree oil are also available in the UK. To qualify for registration, under European directives, products must meet the required standards of safety and quality.
I have come to have full confidence in the work of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. I would like to see more ministerial inquisitivness about the necessity for many of the directives, which seem to be introduced for no very convincing reason.
