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Written question asked by Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour) on Friday, 26 January 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 30 January 2024. It was answered by Andrew Murrison (Conservative) on Monday, 5 February 2024 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


AWE: Databases

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have the necessary security clearance to access the (i) Merlin database and (ii) documentation stored on the Merlin database pertaining to the nuclear test programme and its veterans.

Answer

As set out in the answer I gave on 23 January to Question 10374 from the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey), seven officials at the Atomic Weapons Establishment have appropriate clearance and are authorised to access the Merlin database.

All Ministers hold clearances appropriate to their roles and responsibilities. As the Minister responsible in the Ministry of Defence for veteran's affairs I retain the relevant clearances to view the information retained on Merlin.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
11618
Session
2023-24
Attachment
AWE: Databases
Subjects
Databases AWE Personal records Vetting Veterans
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk