A few weeks ago a family arrived at
one of my surgeries in Larkhall and told me the most
amazing story of the health issues they have experienced
through 3 generations. I was absolutely shocked when
they told me their story. The grandfather was a veteran
of the Christmas Island nuclear testing in the 1950’s,
now his son and possibly his grandchildren had all
suffered health issues that they believe are directly
attributable to the exposure to radiation on Christmas
Island. One request they had was that the Scottish
Parliament help their case for blood testing and
recognition from the MOD that they did their duty to
their country. The result was a very interesting journey
into the whole issue and as it was being heard in the
Supreme Court on the 14th
November all the more topical. I after a number of
re-write because of the issue of sub-judice I managed to
lodge a motion for debate in the Scottish Parliament. I
received and was grateful for cross party support and we
debated the subject in the Scottish parliament with a
number of the veterans in the gallery to witness the
Scottish Parliament stand up for them. The only downside
was the fact that not one single Tory or Lib-Dem spoke
in the debate, a disgrace if you ask me!
Here is the text of my speech;
PO usually when we open debates we
say that we are delighted to be speaking in this debate
but this debate is being opened by me with a heavy
heart. Can I thank and pay tribute to the Nuclear Test
Veterans association for attending this debate and
bringing this issue to not just my attention but to the
attention of a number of my colleagues across parties
and Parliaments.
PO I wish to share some very wise
words;
“The first duty of Government is the
defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that
responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing
some
civilian freedoms, facing danger and,
sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result
of their duty. Families also play a vital role in
supporting the
operational effectiveness of our
Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral
obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army
and
the Royal Air Force, together with
their families. They deserve our respect and support,
and fair treatment.”
PO I couldn’t agree more but these
are not my wise words they are the words contained in
this document The Armed Forces Covenant: Today and
Tomorrow.
A hefty document as you can see but
light on commitment to thousands of servicemen who did
their duty in fact went above and beyond the call of
duty when they either volunteered or where conscripted
to take part in the atomic tests in the south pacific
and Australia. They undertook this duty with honour and
dedication.
The men were primarily young
conscripts, simply carrying out their national service,
who were exposed to radiation during nuclear weapons
testing near Christmas Island between 1952 and 1958.
At the time, the veterans had no idea
what was going to happen. The only protection they were
provided with was the instruction to hide their eyes or
turn away when the A-bombs went off. Many of the
surviving veterans are now terminally ill, with a death
rate of approximately three veterans a month.
PO these servicemen may not have been
in the frontline of any conflict or theatre of war but
they were indeed in the frontline of the cold war at the
beginning of a race for the ultimate power (nuclear
dominance) and the UK was at the forefront of this race.
My heavy heart is a consequence of
the realisation that these service people who did their
duty have not had that duty respected and that many
governments of many colours have neglected their duty of
care to the people who served them in the south Pacific
and Australia with honour.
The stories of these service people
are well documented and each one is a heart-breaking
account ill health and misery. From the men who became
infertile, developed terrible skin cancers and
conditions, suffered with bone problems, bowel cancer,
leukaemia, eye conditions and many, many more horrific
cancers and illnesses. To the wives who suffered
multiple mis-carriages, 3 times the normal rate. Their
children who suffer 10 times the expected rate of birth
defects and to the grandchildren suffering horrible
defects at 8 times the normal rate for deformity.
That all comes on top of new medical
research that suggests that DNA could have been damaged
by the radiation exposure.
There is now robust scientific
evidence that those previously thought to be safe from
exposure were, in fact, exposed. The Rowland report on
New Zealand naval servicemen ‘upwind’ of tests at
Christmas Island suggests veterans’ DNA was damaged by
radiation. Leading scientists agree that the exposure
could have caused a catalogue of health problems
The Ministry of Defence did not
monitor for alpha and beta radiation at the tests.
Residual plutonium and uranium (both alpha emitters)
weapons material will remain a hazard for thousands of
years. Alpha particles have a higher radiation weighting
by a factor of 20 compared to beta and gamma rays in
ICRP guidelines. The orthodox view is they are 20 times
more damaging. If alpha particles lodge in the body they
continue to be hazardous for life.
Our wartime allies, the US by an act
passed in the House of Representatives in 1988 and
signed by the then President Ronald Reagan recognised
the sacrifice made in the name of global security and
peace. The US paid over £100 million dollars to its
service men. Canada and France have already agreed to
pay compensation to their nuclear veterans without the
need for litigation. The UK now stands alone as the only
western nuclear power not to offer this recognition, not
to honour their duty and take care of their own
servicemen.
PO the previous government at
Westminster committed £412,000 to fund a study into the
health of the nuclear test veterans when the current
Coalition government came to power they cut that to just
£75,000. A total of 633 men came forward and the results
make stark reading. The survey shows that only 18% of
those polled are in good health and of those with a
serious condition only 16% thought it was because of
something other than radiation. That means that these
respondents all 84% of them believe that their health
issues are directly related to exposure during the tests
on Christmas Island.
PO I think it is important that we
represent our constituents the best way we possibly can
and hopefully by telling the stories of our constituents
in this debate that people will listen and remember. My
constituents are blighted by ill health, they are a
father and son who have an uncertain future. They need
genetic testing to prepare for that future but the MOD
have informed them both that their medical records are
lost. I would urge the MOD to find those records and
allow my constituents to investigate the health issue
they have and enable them to at least have a fighting
chance.
I hope the minister in his summing up
will join with all members in this chamber and across
parliaments to stand shoulder to shoulder with our
veterans and give them the dignity and respect they
deserve.
PO this document is titled The Armed
Forces Covenant; Today and Tomorrow.
“The Armed Forces Covenant is the
expression of the moral obligation the Government and
the Nation owe to those who serve or have served in our
Armed Forces and to their families.
In return, they deserve not only our
respect and gratitude, but also our constant attention
to how they are treated and the impact that Service life
has on them and on their families.
Can I ask that the duty these men
gave to their nation be respected because some of them
are left today but none of them have too many tomorrows.
And here is the link to the actual
debate;
There have been a number of other
speeches and questions and now we have our new website
it is easy to view these.
