Throughout the 80s I campaigned for justice for British servicemen used as guinea pigs in atomic tests. On one occasion I initiated a debate in the Commons at 3.50 am in the middle of the night – a debate that the Government didn’t want. Today just 1500 of the 20,000 servicemen put in harms way are still alive. The Defence Minister, Earl Minto, deserves thanks for his straightforward reply in the Lords yesterday. However long it takes, injustices must be put right.
My Lords, does the Minister know that some 1,500 of the test veterans who are still alive, of the 20,000 who were affected, have attended meetings here in Parliament and have claimed that, because some records were incomplete, those records have not been made available to test veterans? Will he look at that specific issue? Also, given that sites such as Maralinga in Australia, where some of the tests took place, are still regarded as uninhabitable, does he not agree that this demonstrates that people who were serving Crown and country were placed in harm’s way?
Yes, my Lords, I agree with that. It has been widely recognised. A lot of the data that is held is extremely historic and, at times, what the issue really is can get blurred. As I have indicated in previous Written Answers on this subject, my right honourable friend the Minister for Defence People and Families visited the Atomic Weapons Establishment in March to personally review these 150 documents that are being referred to and which allegedly relate to test veterans. He is committed to update the other place in due course—actually, in pretty short order. I do not wish to pre-empt that Statement.
