Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 4 August (HL 9670), when they intend to share the findings of the review of the over 43,000 files relating to nuclear test veterans and how they intend to share those findings.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The review of records commissioned by my colleague, the Minister for Veterans and People, is ongoing. This work will enable us to better understand what information the Department holds regarding medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests, ensuring that relevant information has been examined thoroughly. We will update Parliament at the earliest opportunity once this work is complete.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 4 August (HL 9670), how many nuclear rest veterans have applied for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme; how many have been granted compensation; and how many have died before their applications were considered.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The War Pensions Computer System currently lacks the capability to uniquely identify individuals who participated in nuclear tests. While the claim file might contain a copy of the Nuclear Test Veterans Priority Claim Request or other relevant information indicating the claimant's involvement in nuclear testing, this information is not consistently available.
To accurately determine the number of Nuclear Test Veterans who applied for or received compensation, or those who passed away before their application was reviewed, would require a manual interrogation of all War Pension files and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Statistics on the War Pensions Scheme are published by the Ministry of Defence at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/war-pension-recipients-index
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 4 August (HL 9670) relating to nuclear test veterans, when they reset their relationship with test veterans and the organisations that support them; when and whether any announcement was made about this change in the relationship; and what precisely was announced.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.
A priority for the Government when we entered office was to reset our relationship with Nuclear Test Veterans. This has been done through Ministerial and official-level meetings with organisations representing Nuclear Test Veterans and with Parliamentarians, and initiatives including the records review. No standalone announcement was made about this reset, but we have referred to it in public statements and in Parliament. The Secretary of State for Defence and the Minister for Veterans and People most recently met a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation and members of Parliament on 1 September 2025.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 9 May (HL6830) on radiation exposure of veterans, what progress they have made in obtaining the information requested, writing in response, and placing a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.
As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at concerns raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans’ medical records. I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise.
This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.
Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to trace former British troops and their descendants affected by human radiation experiments; and what compensation, if any, has been paid to them.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.
As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at concerns raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans’ medical records. I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise.
This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.
Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of cost of providing an 'Iron Dome' style defence system to protect the United Kingdom from missile attack.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Iron Dome is Israel’s approach to Integrated Air and Missile Defence, it is based upon the threat Israel faces, its geography and capability. The Strategic Defence Review has considered similar factors for the UK Homeland and announced up to £1 billion investment in air and missile defence of the UK. Specific decisions on the UK’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence will follow through the Defence Investment Plan which is in development within the Ministry of Defence and due for publication in autumn 2025.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide compensation to veterans, and where appropriate their descendants, for injuries or illnesses caused by radiation exposure from nuclear tests (1) in the UK, or (2) authorised by the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.
Around 22,000 Nuclear Test Veterans were considered in an analysis of the data in the Nuclear Weapons Test Participants Study – a long-term epidemiological study of the health of veterans who were present at UK nuclear testing between 1952 and 1967. Four analyses of this data to date, concluded that Nuclear Test Veterans have a similar incidence of cancer and, in general, a longer healthy life expectancy than the control group. The possibility that test participation caused an increase in risk of leukaemia cannot be ruled out. Our policy is therefore to award a war pension for claims for leukaemia having clinical onset within 25 years of presence at test sites.
Nuclear Test Veterans and their entitled family members are already eligible to apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme. There is no time limit for claiming, however if a claim is made more than seven years after termination of service, as would be the case for Nuclear Test Veterans, the claimant is granted the benefit of doubt when there is uncertainty about whether the disablement is linked to or worsened by their service. Factors such as being on operations or in a hazardous environment can support a service-related claim. Claims handlers will review historical records, including medical records, to establish a causal link to service for Nuclear Test Veterans seeking compensation.
This Government has no current plans to develop a specific compensation scheme for either Nuclear Test Veterans or their families.
Ministers are keen to engage with the issue of records head on and have repeatedly met with MPs and groups in the nuclear test veteran community to discuss a range of topics. The Minister for Veterans and People, Al Carns, has commissioned officials across the Ministry of Defence, as a priority, to look at what information may be held by the Department. An update on the progress to date will be provided before summer recess.
Four analyses of an independent epidemiological study have previously been carried out, the latest report was published in 2022. This report concluded that overall levels of mortality and cancer incidence in nuclear test veterans have continued to be similar to those in a matched Service control group, and lower than in the general population.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether British troops have ever been subject to human radiation experiments; and, if so, whether they will provide details of those experiments giving dates, locations, and any subsequent care provided to those exposed.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the noble Lord’s Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Estonia and other NATO allies concerning their commitment to provide military support.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK remains committed to Baltic and NATO security through a variety of means, including its commitment to the Enhanced Forward Presence deployment, NATO Air Policing, and the Joint Expeditionary Force. The Secretary of State for Defence regularly meets with his Estonian counterpart to discuss military contributions to European defence and security, having met most recently on 26 March 2025.