§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen), on 5 November 2003, what procedure the request for medals for Arctic veterans has undergone, what further stages have to be gone through; and if he will make a statement. [137891]
§ The Prime MinisterFirst, I would like to pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of all those who sailed in the Arctic convoys. Those who served in the Arctic Convoys during the Second World War were awarded a medal, the Atlantic Star, at the time to mark their important contribution.
The general policy on medals, which has been followed by successive Governments over many years, is that two separate medals are not awarded for any one exercise or campaign, In addition, except in cases where specific criteria are met as in the case of the Suez Canal Zone, proposals for new medals are not considered more than five years after the event.
Any further representations or requests for new evidence to be examined should be sent to the Ministry of Defence in the first instance.