Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for the Humanitarian Medal to include service rendered before 19 June 2023.

The Humanitarian Medal was introduced in July 2023 to recognise those in public service and members of organisations that contribute on behalf of HM Government, which respond in support of human welfare during or in the aftermath of a crisis.

The Medal is not retrospective, and only incidents that occur from July 2023 are eligible as this is the date that His Majesty signed the Royal Warrant and the medal came into being under the previous government. However, operations which were live at that time but which commenced before the introduction of the Humanitarian Medal, may be eligible for the Humanitarian Medal with the clasp for that operation.

There are no plans to review the criteria to allow for retrospection.