Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many surviving British veterans who fought for the liberation of France during the second world war are waiting (a) to have their applications to receive the French Legion d'Honneur processed by his Department and (b) to receive the award of the Legion d'Honneur for which they have been certified as eligible by his Department.

The Ministry of Defence currently has seven applications for the Legion d'Honneur that will be sent to the French authorities shortly. There are 14 Legion d'Honneur cases for which we are seeking clarification from the applicants. There are currently 68 cases for the award being processed by the French authorities.