Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 6 November to Questions 11571 and 11572 on USA: Veterans, what epidemiological studies he plans to commission for (a) service personnel and (b) dependents who may have been contaminated while living at Camp Lejeune.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and any veteran that may have served at Camp Lejeune during this period and believes that their health was affected can apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme. It is worth noting that the US compensation scheme was running for almost two years before the new Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministerial team were informed.
The MOD does not currently plan to commission epidemiological studies for Service personnel and dependants who may have been exposed to contaminated water while living at Camp Lejeune.
The MOD does not hold information on British personnel affected by water contamination at US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987; however, we are making every effort to ensure Serving personnel and veterans are aware of their rights moving forward. I continue to encourage anyone who was based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987 to write to the MOD so that we may provide them with advice.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 6 November to Questions 11571 and 11572 on USA: Veterans, how many Camp Lejeune veterans have applied through the War Pension Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is worth noting that the US compensation scheme was running for almost two years before the new MOD Ministerial team were informed. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 28 October 2024 to Questions 4187, 4188, and 4189 on USA: Veterans, whether he has held discussions with veterans organisations on encouraging Camp Lejeune veterans to come forward if they believe they have been affected by contaminated water.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and any veteran that may have served at Camp Lejeune during this period and believe that their health was affected can apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme.
The US compensation scheme had been running for almost two years at the point it was raised on 30 July 2024 to the new Ministerial team. Immediate instruction was given to Service Chiefs to communicate the scheme to anyone who may have been based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987, as well as on Ministry of Defence external channels.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 28 October 2024 to Questions 4187, 4188, and 4189 on USA: Veterans, what steps his Department is taking to encourage Camp Lejeune veterans to come forward if they believe they have been affected by contaminated water.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is worth noting that the US compensation scheme had been running for almost two years at the point it was raised on 30 July 2024 to the new Ministerial team.
On notification, I immediately instructed the Ministry of Defence to release several statements encouraging those who think they may have been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to contact the department. This was done through an article on Gov.uk, on the Department’s social media accounts and internally through Veterans UK and all three Services.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2024 to Question 4189 on USA: Veterans, how many Camp Lejeune veterans have contacted his Department as a result of the encouragement cited.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The US compensation scheme for those affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune had been running for almost two years at the point it was raised on 30 July 2024 to the new Ministerial team.
The Ministry of Defence has received three pieces of Ministerial Correspondence from relatives of veterans and veterans, one letter direct from a veteran and nine Freedom of Information Requests on the matter.
I once again encourage anyone who was based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987 to write to the Ministry of Defence so that we may provide them with advice. We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and any veteran that may have served at Camp Lejeune during this period and believe that their health was affected can apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of opening another application period for compensation of British personnel affected by the Camp Lejeune water contamination.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Once I was made aware, on 30 July this year, of the Camp Lejeune US compensation scheme which was available from August 2022, direction was sent through the Department to encourage those who think they may have been affected by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to reach out for support. I encourage anyone who was based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987 to write to the Ministry of Defence so that we may provide them with advice.
We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and any veteran that may have served at Camp Lejeune during this period and believe that their health was affected can apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department holds information on British personnel affected by water contamination at US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on British personnel affected by water contamination at US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987.
While we do not have details of personnel who served at the Camp, we are making every effort to ensure Serving personnel and veterans are aware of their rights moving forward.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any British personnel affected by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune received compensation under the War Pension Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of providing (a) eyewear and (b) eye tests for Ukrainian troops being trained in the UK on the health and wellbeing of those troops; and what estimate he has made of the financial value of optician vouchers offered to those troops in the last 12 months.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK takes the health and wellbeing of Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) personnel extremely seriously while they are training on Operation INTERFLEX, however, it is the responsibility of the AFU to screen all AFU personnel prior to their participation in UK based training.
Under Operation INTERFLEX, the UK provides AFU personnel with eyewear (spectacles and eye protection) where it is required, to reduce the risk of injury, and to protect the health and safety of those operating on the Defence Estate.
Eye tests are available for spectacles, as well as a provision for corrective lenses to be fitted to eye protection. All eye healthcare for AFU personnel is provided through a contracted service. In financial year 2023-24 the cost of eye tests and eyewear through the MOD Specsavers scheme was £38,277.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department’s communication with service families on the Future Accommodation Model.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has engaged closely with Service families and family organisations throughout the development of the Future Accommodation Model (FAM). Throughout this period, various means of communication including the development of a Gov.uk website, close liaison with the single Services, Families Federations and community information networks have supported a steady flow of information. Planning is under way to ensure that there will be regular communication and detail on the impact of FAM on Service personnel and their families in the very near future, and as the Pilot implementation progresses in 2019.
The pilot will allow MOD to test this new approach and understand how it affects all Service personnel and their families, including those who are single, those who are in a long-term relationship and those who live unaccompanied. Feedback will inform a decision on whether or not to implement FAM across the UK in the future. The pilot, which is expected to take place at a small number of military bases is being planned to start in autumn 2019.
More general information about FAM can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/future-accommodation-model-what-you-need-to-know.