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Question follow-through · 43816

AWE: Databases

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the criteria used by the Atomic Weapons Establishment to decide which documents are published from the Merlin database has changed.

answeredMinistry of Defence

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Ministry of Defence
Tabled
3 Apr 2025
Target answer date
7 Apr 2025
Answer
9 Apr 2025 · 6 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Defence and foreign affairs

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Votes on this topic

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Recorded timeline

  1. 3 Apr 2025

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the criteria used by the Atomic Weapons Establishment to decide which documents are published from the Merlin database has changed.

  2. 7 Apr 2025

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 9 Apr 2025

    Answer published

    The criteria to enable release of records held in the Merlin database has not changed. It remains this Government’s intention to release the records with the Atomic Weapons Establishment reviewing them in line with national security obligations, and the 2...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Ministry of Defence: Apprentices

14 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department.

Strong linkSame MP, department and exact heading

AWE: Databases

10 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a list of the (a) titles, (b) file names and (c) dates of creation of each document held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment on the Merlin database.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans: Lincolnshire

11 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase to support for veterans entering civilian life in Lincolnshire.

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Defence: Employers' Contributions

24 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increases to employers’ National Insurance contributions on the defence industry.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Ministry of Defence: Remote Working

30 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

1 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 30 June 2025 on Nuclear Test Veteran records exercise and the Merlin database, HCWS748, which office the staff that are reviewing (a) the Merlin Database and (b) other a

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans Support Centres: Lincolnshire

7 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many VALOUR support centres for veterans he plans to locate in Lincolnshire.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

11 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stage of the approval process his request of the Advisory Medal Sub-Committee for an expansion of the criteria of the nuclear test medal is at.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

11 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will expand the qualifying criteria of the nuclear test medal so that veterans of the (a) 1960s, (b) 1970s and (c) 1980s who flew sampling missions through nuclear clouds of foreign nations are eligible.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

11 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to seek a Royal reception with His Majesty the King to honour nuclear testing veterans.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

22 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place an interim report in the House of Commons Library on the findings from the review of (a) blood and (b) urine tests taken from those servicemen who witnessed the tests in the 1950s of Britain's fi

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time equivalent civil servants are working on policy related to nuclear test veterans.