Peter Mitchell

167 Landing Drive

The Lakes

TAURANGA 3112

 

Dear Mr Mitchell

 

The Prime minister has asked me to reply to your letter of 2 April 2009 regarding Mururoa Veterans.

 

In order to recognise the impact of service in Nuclear Tests, the New Zealand Government gave War Pension cover to Mururoa veterans in 2002. This allows any Mururoa veteran to make application for a War Disablement Pension for any disability that they believe is attributable to their service in Mururoa.

 

In 2007, in order to assist with the resolution of War Disablement Pension claims, a list of conditiions accepted as being service related for those who have served in Nuclear Tests was introduced. The introduction of presumptively recognised conditions as desgned to speed the War Disablement Pension application process by removing the need to consider the service attributability process by removing the need to consider the service attributability for these particular conditions.

 

The presumptive list covers:

*    All forms of leukaemia (except for chronic lymphoctic leukaemia)

*    Cancer of the thyriod, breast, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, gall bladder, salivary gland, urinary tract (renal, pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder and urethra), brain, bone, lung, colon, and ovary

*    Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma

*    Multiple myeloma

*    Lymphomas (other than Hodgkin"s disease)

*    Primary liver cancer (except if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated)

 

The government has also made an undertaking to monitor international research into the children and grandchildren of Nuclear Test veterans. Should any intergenerational effects of service in Nuclear Tests be identified the government would look at what could be done in the New Zealand context.

 

This government has also made the decision to refer the research undertaken by Massey University into the Operation Grapple veterans to the newly formed Expert Panel on Veterans Health. The expert Panel will then provide advice to the government on the best way to use the information from this research to support Nuclear Test veterans.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Hon Judith Collins

Minister of Veterans' Affairs