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.

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.