Written Question
Thursday 9th March 2023
Asked by:
Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2023 to Question 148519 on Nuclear Test Veterans, whether the results of blood tests on personnel who witnessed nuclear test events (a) are held at the Atomic Weapons Establishment and (b) will be made available on request to the (i) veterans and (ii) surviving members of the families of deceased veterans; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) do not hold the blood test results for Nuclear Test Veterans. AWE holds a small number of references to blood and urine tests which were included in scientific documentation related to nuclear weapons trials. Veterans or members of their family are entitled to request information that may be held by AWE through Subject Access Requests, which will be handled in a routine manner.
Written Question
Thursday 23rd February 2023
Asked by:
Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects to announce dates for nuclear test veterans to receive the medals and clasps in recognition of their service; and what steps his Department is taking to make available to interested parties the findings of medical tests carried out on participants in the nuclear testing programme.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Government continues to recognise and be grateful to all Service personnel who participated in the British Nuclear testing programme. They contributed to keeping our nation secure during the Cold War and since, by ensuring that the UK was equipped with an appropriate nuclear capability.
I am pleased that a forthcoming commemorative Nuclear Test Medal was announced by the Prime Minister in November 2022, which is intended to recognise Service veterans and civilians who participated in the UK’s nuclear tests between 1952 and 1967. The first Nuclear Test Medals are expected to be available in summer 2023. Details on the eligibility criteria for the Medal, together with information on the application process, will be announced by the end of March 2023. There is a long-established process to design, procure and produce a new Medal and collectively this process takes some months.
In relation to medical test results, an individual can make a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the relevant military service, Veterans UK or the Atomic Weapons Establishment to have sight of what records are held on them. Information is provided on request to individuals, or representatives acting on their behalf, under ‘General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Chapter 3, Article 15 – Right of access’.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Nov 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"In this remembrance period, does the Minister recall the two very constructive meetings held by the War Widows’ Association with our hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Leo Docherty), when he was veterans Minister, about the 200 to 300 people who lost their widow’s pension on remarriage? Will the progress …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 31 Oct 2022
Royal Navy: Conduct towards Women
"I warmly congratulate my right hon. Friend on rejoining the Defence ministerial team. With his experience of professional service in the Royal Navy, he will be aware of the vital role of commanding officers of naval units in terms of discipline. I am surprised therefore that not more is being …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 11 Oct 2022
Ukraine
"My right hon. Friend is a reassuring presence at the Dispatch Box, and I congratulate him on his recent appointment to his post. Does he agree that all that will deter Putin from the use of nuclear weapons is the thought that: a) they may be ineffective; and b) their …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 22 Sep 2022
Ukraine
"I begin by congratulating the three Front-Bench spokesmen on the eloquence and unanimity that has been displayed. In studying the depravity of dictators, one quickly understands that cynicism has no limits and hypocrisy no boundaries. Putin likes to draw parallels with the second world war, and there are indeed parallels …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 22 Sep 2022
Ukraine
"Not for the first time, my right hon. and gallant Friend anticipates my next but one point. I will make the next point first, which is that, because the only tactic left is destruction, the area of doubt is how far Putin will go. Will he simply think that by …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 05 Sep 2022
Ukraine Update
"Although the commitment to 3% of GDP on defence is welcome, 2030 is further away in time than the entire duration of the second world war. It would be nice to see that commitment, which the Select Committee on Defence originally called for about six years ago, implemented a little …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 22 Jun 2022
UK Defence Industry: Procurement
"Before the Minister moves swiftly on from the deterrent, I would like to take him back to aerospace. In the past he has been generous with his time and has met me to discuss the subject of the war widows, a subject that falls more within his own bailiwick. I …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 20 Jun 2022
Ukraine: UK and NATO Military Commitment
"As the expenditure on all the equipment that we have rightly been supplying is operational, will the Minister confirm that it is coming from the Treasury reserve and not from the normal annual defence budget? I gently remind him and the House that, in the first half of the 1980s, …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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