Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Merlin database held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment is among the files routinely checked when nuclear veterans make a Data Subject Access Request.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Merlin database was created in 2007 by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). The database contains over 28,000 records relating to historic technical and scientific documentation on the UK’s nuclear testing programme. It was developed to store relevant factual documentary evidence to take into account when considering nuclear test veterans’ compensation claims but does not include medical records.
The Merlin database is interrogated when a Data Subject Access Request is received by AWE from a nuclear test veteran. Seven officials at AWE have appropriate clearance to access the database which includes recorded information ranging from unclassified up to Secret Atomic classified material. Information on the annual costs of maintaining the Merlin database is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost as the support and maintenance costs are calculated as part of a larger suite of unrelated applications.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when documentation relevant to nuclear test veterans’ litigation was first stored on the Merlin database held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Merlin database was created in 2007 by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). The database contains over 28,000 records relating to historic technical and scientific documentation on the UK’s nuclear testing programme. It was developed to store relevant factual documentary evidence to take into account when considering nuclear test veterans’ compensation claims but does not include medical records.
The Merlin database is interrogated when a Data Subject Access Request is received by AWE from a nuclear test veteran. Seven officials at AWE have appropriate clearance to access the database which includes recorded information ranging from unclassified up to Secret Atomic classified material. Information on the annual costs of maintaining the Merlin database is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost as the support and maintenance costs are calculated as part of a larger suite of unrelated applications.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Merlin database of the Atomic Weapons Establishment was established.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Merlin database was created in 2007 by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). The database contains over 28,000 records relating to historic technical and scientific documentation on the UK’s nuclear testing programme. It was developed to store relevant factual documentary evidence to take into account when considering nuclear test veterans’ compensation claims but does not include medical records.
The Merlin database is interrogated when a Data Subject Access Request is received by AWE from a nuclear test veteran. Seven officials at AWE have appropriate clearance to access the database which includes recorded information ranging from unclassified up to Secret Atomic classified material. Information on the annual costs of maintaining the Merlin database is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost as the support and maintenance costs are calculated as part of a larger suite of unrelated applications.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on external consultants for the PEGASUS programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the right hon. Member’s Questions. I will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on external consultants for the MENSA programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the right hon. Member’s Questions. I will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution made by the Minister for Defence People and Families on 28 November 2023 to the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records, Official Report, column 245WH, when he plans to report back on the files from the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As I set out in Ministry of Defence Oral Questions on 8 January, to the hon. Member for South Shields (900886), I remain committed to reviewing the documents in the very near future where I will personally assess them and consider their release into the public domain.
I will then personally assess them and consider their release into the public domain,
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs for the MENSA project were in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the right hon. Member to my letter to him dated 25 October 2023.
A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) Infrastructure and Projects Authority and (b) Senior Responsible Owner rating was of the Teutates Programme in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the right hon. Member to my letter to him dated 25 October 2023.
A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected project end date was for the TEUTATES programme in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the right hon. Member to my letter to him dated 25 October 2023.
A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish (a) a copy of Lord Chancellor's Instruments (LCIs) Nos 76 and 118 and (b) set out which exemptions applied under those LCIs to retain Atomic Weapons Establishment files containing details of blood and urine testing of personnel in the UK nuclear weapons programme.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Lord Chancellor's Instruments (LCIs) are public records. Arrangements for their permanent preservation and public access are managed in line with public records and information rights legislation.
The schedules which accompany the named LCIs set out the reasons that specified Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) files have been retained by AWE. The grounds for retention of those AWE files covered by LCI 76 are national security, security against possible terrorist activity, international relations, and the UK’s international obligations. AWE records covered by LCI 118 were retained due to the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons or retained to allow a more detailed review of their access status.