§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many claims by ex-service men for pensions claimed as a result of ill health stemming from their service on(a) Christmas Island and (b) other nuclear test sites are outstanding; [57215]
(2) how many appeals by ex-service men against refusals of pensions as a result of health problems claimed to result from their service on (a) Christmas Island and (b) other nuclear test sites which have been appealed to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal since 1972 have been successful; and how many such awards have included an award backdated to the original application; [57219]
(3) how many ex-service men have been awarded pensions as a result of health problems resulting from their service on (a) Christmas Island and (b) other nuclear test sites; [57221]
(4) how many claims by ex-service men for pensions based on health problems claimed to result from their service on (a) Christmas Island and (b) other nuclear test sites have been (i) refused and (ii) appealed to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal within the last five years; [57220]
§ Dr. MoonieIt is not possible to provide the precise information requested on claims.
However, as at 16 May 2002, there were 21 claims to War Disablement Pension outstanding from ex-service men relating to service in the South Pacific (Christmas Island and the Malden Islands) and three from other nuclear test sites.
Records maintained since 1998 show 299 awards of pension in relation to service in the South Pacific and 33 to other nuclear test sites.
The information requested on appeals to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal is not available.
§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what target time scale he has for payment of backdated sums awarded by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal to ex-service men who have successfully appealed refusals736W of pensions claimed as a result of ill health stemming from their service on (a) Christmas Island and (b) other nuclear test sites; and how many awards have been paid within the target period. [57216]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Veterans Agency has a target of 15 working days in which to implement the decision of the Pensions Appeals Tribunal (PAT).
Statistics relating to clearance of awards following Pensions Appeal Tribunal decisions are not separately available for nuclear test veterans. However, figures are held relating to clearance of all cases following PAT decisions (successful and unsuccessful). Latest available figures show that of 3,204 cases cleared from April 2001 to December 2001, 2,679 were cleared within the 15-day target period.