Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce barriers to application to the War Pensions Scheme for British Nuclear Test Veterans.

Nuclear Test Veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme (WPS) and have the same access to the scheme as any other veteran, with each application being assessed on its individual merits. War Disablement Pensions are medically certified with relevant material facts including on claimed incidents, events, and exposures.

There is not a specific Nuclear Test Veteran claim form for compensation under the WPS. However, a supplementary form is available which allows for Nuclear Test Veteran specific information to be provided at the point of claim, reducing potential delays arising from seeking this information.

The Veterans Welfare Service offers assistance to all veterans throughout the application process.

An information leaflet for claiming compensation for conditions relating to exposure to ionising radiation can be accessed through the gov.uk website at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f461d0ae90e074c4d303333/NTVleaflet.pdf