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.

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.