Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

British Nuclear Test Veterans: Service Medals

Thursday 12 November 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Lee Rowley asked the Department to assess the merits of service medals for British nuclear test veterans.
  • The Department acknowledges an independent process that considers historical medal claims, which has received representations from nuclear test veterans.
  • The Minister expressed support for John Ward's campaign and clarified that the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill addresses misunderstandings about veterans' rights.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Lee Rowley Con
Veterans
Context

Veterans of British nuclear tests have been campaigning for medallic recognition. This issue has seen representations made to a sub-committee tasked with reviewing historical medal claims.

Question

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of service medals for British nuclear test veterans. My constituent John Ward was one of many veterans sent there in 1957, and he has campaigned for years for recognition through a medal.

Answer from Johnny Mercer

I appreciate how important medallic recognition is to so many of our veterans groups. There is an independent process that looks at the consideration of historical medal claims. That sub-committee restarted in 2018, and I know that it has received representations from nuclear test veterans. Those review recommendations will be made public as soon as possible.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for commitment to support the campaign was not directly addressed.

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Q2 Lee Rowley Con
Veterans
Context

The recent passage of the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill has raised concerns about its potential impact on the cause of British nuclear test veterans seeking recognition.

Question

My constituent John Ward was one of many veterans sent there in 1957, and he has campaigned for years for recognition through a medal. May I encourage the Minister to continue to do what he can to acknowledge the service of those veterans and to confirm that the recent Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, which was passed, has no bearing or impact on their cause?

Answer from Johnny Mercer

I have for some time been a supporter of his campaign, and I would urge him to continue in that vein. When it comes to the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, there were a huge number of misunderstandings about this. It deals with people who are deployed on overseas operations. The nuclear test veterans were not deployed on overseas operations, and their ability to claim compensation for what happened to them is unaffected by this legislation.

Answered
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