Written question asked by Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 24 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 October 2006. It was answered by Derek Twigg (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 November 2006 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Medals

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have been waiting (a) under six months, (b) 12 to 18 months and (c) more than 18 months for medals.

Answer: As at 27 October 2006, 1,725 members of the armed forces had been waiting under six months for their medal entitlement to be assessed. 1,221 of these applications remain within the target delivery timelines agreed with the Services. For the remaining 504 the MOD Medal Office is awaiting further information from the applicant, or the outcome of a Medal Board before they are able to confirm individual entitlement. 41 of the 56 waiting between 12 and 18 months had their medals dispatched to them by 3 November and of the 14 that have been waiting in excess of 18 months, seven will also have been dispatched by the same date. The remaining applications will be processed as soon as is practically possible.

Secondary information