Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to implement the ruling on For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 in the armed forces.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
16 April 2025 saw the Supreme Court ruling that sex is to be understood as biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. Updated Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance will be available in due course, and we’ll consider how this affects our policies when the detail is shared.
Our priority is to ensure that all our people in Defence have the support and facilities they need.
The Government remains committed to dignity and respect for all, and this has been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Gurkhas will be recruited in each of the next five years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service to the Crown and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike.
The number of recruits required for the Brigade of Gurkhas is managed on an annual basis and depends on factors such as retirements, transfers and any changes in unit Order of Battles. Therefore, the Army cannot provide confirmation on the likely number of Gurkha recruits for each of the next five years.
The British Army’s wish to recruit women has been communicated to the Government of Nepal and we will continue to engage them on this subject.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when female Gurkha soldiers will be recruited.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service to the Crown and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike.
The number of recruits required for the Brigade of Gurkhas is managed on an annual basis and depends on factors such as retirements, transfers and any changes in unit Order of Battles. Therefore, the Army cannot provide confirmation on the likely number of Gurkha recruits for each of the next five years.
The British Army’s wish to recruit women has been communicated to the Government of Nepal and we will continue to engage them on this subject.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) on what dates and (b) how his Department contacted service personnel on potential exposure to water contaminants in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina between 1953 and 1987.
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 also 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.
The Ministry of Defence (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. On notification, I immediately instructed the Ministry of Defence to issue communications to encourage those who think they may have been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to contact the department. On 2 August 2024 the Department released an article on Gov.uk explaining how to check eligibility and claim before the deadline. This was also followed up by posts on the Department’s social media accounts and internally through Veterans UK and all three Services.
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, if he will list communications issued from his Department to potential victims of water contamination in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina between 1953 and 1987.
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 also 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.
The Ministry of Defence (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. On notification, I immediately instructed the Ministry of Defence to issue communications to encourage those who think they may have been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to contact the department. On 2 August 2024 the Department released an article on Gov.uk explaining how to check eligibility and claim before the deadline. This was also followed up by posts on the Department’s social media accounts and internally through Veterans UK and all three Services.
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, how his Department has discharged its duty of care to service (a) personnel and (b) families for potential contamination by toxic chemicals in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina between 1953 and 1987.
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 also 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.
The Ministry of Defence (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. On notification, I immediately instructed the Ministry of Defence to issue communications to encourage those who think they may have been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to contact the department. On 2 August 2024 the Department released an article on Gov.uk explaining how to check eligibility and claim before the deadline. This was also followed up by posts on the Department’s social media accounts and internally through Veterans UK and all three Services.
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, what his planned timetable is for publication of the response to the financial award section of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, published on 19 July 2023.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I am pleased to say that on 12 December 2024, during a debate held in Parliament, the Secretary of State announced that the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme would be launched on 13 December 2024, with a budget of £75 million. This Scheme intends to provide recognition to those impacted by the Ban.
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 26 November 2024 to Question 14931 on War Widows Pension Scheme, how many (a) spouses and (b) civil partners have claimed compensation via the War Widows Pension Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The number of widows' or widowers' claims under the War Pension Scheme (WPS) claims relating to Camp Lejeune is not centrally held.
War Pensions Scheme statistics, including for the War Widows Pension Scheme, are published on gov.uk at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/war-pensions-scheme-statistics-2024
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 20 November 2024 to Question 13744 on USA: Veterans, what platforms his Department has used to encourage (a) Service personnel, (b) veterans and (c) dependents previously based in Camp Lejeune to write to his Department for advice.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Department has released several statements encouraging those who think they may have been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to contact the Department, through an article on Gov.uk, and on the Department’s social media accounts on platforms such a X. Again, it is worth noting that the US compensation scheme was in place for almost two years before the new Ministerial team were notified and took swift action.
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 the appropriate 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, what access to compensation from his Department family members of UK service personnel stationed at Camp Lejeune have for illness resulting from contamination.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
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.
The contamination of water at Camp Lejeune was known for almost two years before this was brought to the attention of the new Ministerial team. I will continue to advocate for our Service personnel, veterans, and their families where they have been affected.
For spouses and civil partners of Service personnel, they may be able to claim through the War Widows Pension scheme, should they be eligible, and support can be provided to dependants via the Veterans Welfare Services. Further details for both can be found at Gov.uk