Nuclear Test Veterans (Hansard, 6 December 1989)

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will order a medical study of all surviving British nuclear test veterans to compare results with the statistical mortality study carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
As the hon. Member is aware, the Government rely on the independent and expert advice of the National Radiological Protection Board on matters concerning the overall health of the British nuclear test participant group with respect to their involvement in the British nuclear test programme. It is not for the Government to dictate the methodology or conduct of the NRPB studies, but I am advised by the NRPB that it is not practicable to carry out a health study of living test veterans to produce meaningful, unbiased results.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department had discussions with the Australian Government prior to the announcement by their Minister for Primary Industry that compensation for Australian nuclear test veterans was warranted following a recent British Government decision to compensate its veterans.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
There were no discussions with the Australian Federal Government prior to their announcement. The reference to a recent British Government decision to compensate its veterans is not understood. However, the Government would be ready to pay appropriate compensation wherever the Crown's legal liability was established and where there was firm evidence to show that, on a balance of probabilities, ex-service men had suffered ill health as a result of exposure to radiation during the course of their duties as members of the armed forces.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking to investigate the extent to which British nuclear test veterans, who suffered extensive violent skin rashes immediately following nuclear tests, are today suffering from damage to their immune systems associated with radiation contamination.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
The procedures and very stringent precautions adopted during the test programme were such that no significant level of surface radioactivity arose, and the consequential radiation doses to surface tissues were negligible. There were no reported, observed268W or treated superficial tissue disorders related to radioactivity or radiation exposures at the time of the tests or subsequently.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to compensate Pacific islanders, in line with United States proposals, for conditions arising after British nuclear tests there.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Gentleman.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel were present on Christmas Island during the detonation of nuclear materials, at the exact time of each test.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
A total of some 11,000 members of Her Majesty's forces were present during one or more of the British nuclear tests carried out at Malden and Christmas islands in the period 1957 to 1962, and the total resource provided by these members amounts to 16,000 man-trials. Details of the numbers present at the exact time of each test can be obtained from service records only at disproportionate cost.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake a survey of the tropical diseases from which British nuclear test veterans may still be suffering.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
There are no grounds for carrying out a special survey of the tropical diseases being suffered by participants in the British nuclear test programme.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why it was decided that the Medical Research Council should not continue to monitor British nuclear test veterans after their tour of duty associated with nuclear testing.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
The Government remain confident that the precautions taken during the British nuclear test programme were adequate to ensure that participants suffered no harm as a result of their participation. When the United Kingdom undertook the programme, the Medical Research Council did not advise that comprehensive monitoring of United Kingdom test participants should be carried out either during or after the tests, and from the evidence accumulated since there are no grounds for changing that policy.