Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) veterans and (b) next of kin have (i) applied and (ii) been approved to receive a Nuclear Test Medal.
The following table shows the number of Nuclear Test Medal applications received and approved from veterans or next of kin as at 4 December 2023.
| Veterans | Next of Kin | Total |
Applications received | 2,345 | 1,567 | 3,912 |
Applications approved | 1,229 | 2,089 | 3,318 |
As at 4 December 2023, no Nuclear Test Medal applications have been rejected whereby either the veteran, or the deceased former Service person, has been deemed ineligible for the Nuclear Test Medal.
There are cases whereby further investigations are required to determine whether there is any official documentation held that can validate entitlement to the Nuclear Test Medal, as it was not apparent on the individual’s Service record. If evidence cannot be located, then there will be cases that result in a rejection against the qualifying criteria.