DearAndrew Coombes,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Thank you for your email of 1 March 2012 requesting information on the use of Nerve Agent Immobilizer Enzyme Alarm and Detector(NAIAD)by UK Forces during the Gulf war 1991. Your correspondence has been considered to be a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
Your request was as follows:
With regards to NAIAD chemical detection equipment in use with UK
Forces during the Gulf war 1991 (Op Granby):
1. Is this equipment still in use with the UK Armed Forces?
2. Have any modifications been made to the equipment since 1991
Gulf war?
3. Were the manufacturers consulted after the Gulf War 1991 with
regards to its performance during the conflict?
4. If the manufacturers were consulted with regard to the
equipments performance during the conflict who was consulted?
The Department holds some information of the descriptionrequested.
Question 1 – Is this equipment still in use with the UK Armed Forces?
NAIAD was withdrawn from service after being declared obsolescent in a Defence Instruction Notice (DIN) - DCI JS 27/04 dated 27February 2004 – Declaration of obsolete equipment NAIAD, an extract is provided below.
27/04 Declaration of Obsolete Equipment - Nerve Agent Immobilizer Enzyme Alarm and Detector (NAIAD) - Z8 6665-99-967-0135 (R)
The above equipment is declared obsolete with effect from 31 Jan 04. Back loading instructions should be applied for from DSDC Donnington for eventual disposal in conjunction with JSP 392. There is no immediate replacement for this equipment. Declaration of obsolete action is taken in accordance with DEC(NBC)55/3 letter dated 14 Nov 03.
Question 2 - Have any modifications been made to the equipment since the 1991 Gulf war?
Extracts from the following reportdetailsmodifications to the packaging material for the NAIAD.
DERA/CBD/CR/98270 dated 16/10/1998 – NAIAD storage trials for pad holders in SEET C460 packaging
‘A change in packaging material to SEET 460 laminate was sought and it was agreed that the SEET C460 laminate was to be used. A real-time shelf life study of selected batches of the enzyme (immobilised cholinesterase) pad holders was undertaken to determine the effect of this on the shelf life. The change to SEET 460 has been shown to be suitable for the task’.
Question 3 - Were the manufacturers consulted after the Gulf War 1991 with regards to its performance during the conflict? AND Question 4 - If the manufacturers were consulted with regard to the equipments performance during the conflict who was consulted?
Information is not held.
If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review by contacting the Head of Corporate Information, 2nd Floor, MODMainBuilding, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail ). Please note that any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has come to an end.
If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate your case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website,
Yours sincerely
Jonathan Hawkins