Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 21 February 2022, Official Report, column 19, what progress officials in his Department have made on revisiting the internal review on the recognition of or compensation for nuclear test veterans and their families; and if he will make a statement on the findings of that review once it has concluded.

In relation to recognition, it is not within the Ministry of Defence's gift to award medallic recognition to the nuclear test veterans (NTVs). The Independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) was re-established in 2019 to offer advice to the Committee on the Grant of Honours Decorations and Medals (the HD Committee) in the Cabinet Office on historic military medals claims, including cases which may not have been previously considered or where new evidence has emerged. The HD Committee is the principal body with responsibility for making recommendations on honours, awards, and medals to Her Majesty The Queen.

The recommendation of the re-established AMSC was made in December 2020 in respect of the case of retrospective medallic recognition for all those who participated in the British Nuclear Test Programme during the period 1952 to 1991. The AMSC has an independent Chair, and independent Membership, and it has considered the case carefully, including submissions from relevant interested external parties. The AMSC's recommendation to the HD Committee was not to award a medal, and the HD Committee has accepted this advice. Any decision to revisit this decision would be a matter for the AMSC.

In relation to compensation, the Department is considering the findings of the final fourth phase of a longitudinal epidemiological study into health effects among nuclear test participants and any potential impacts on compensation policy. It remains the case that NTVs who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme, in respect of illness or injury as a result of service in the Armed Forces before 6 April 2005.