High court judges accepted the bulk of the government's appeal against a decision in June 2009 which stated that ten test cases out of 1,011 claims could proceed to a full trial, by ruling that only one case could go forward.

The ex-servicemen claim they suffered cancer, skin defects and fertility problems because of involvement in the tests in Australia, Christmas Island and Monte Bello Islands between 1952 and 1958.

The three judges ruled that nine of the ten cases referred for trial were lodged outside the legal time limit and also said the veterans had no evidence to prove their illnesses were caused by radiation exposure.

Only the case of the late Bert Sinfield will be allowed to proceed.

However, the veterans are likely to appeal, according to their lawyer, Neil Sampson, who said: "We are digesting the full judgment and anticipate making an application to the Supreme Court to overturn today's decision."

Andrew Robathan, a junior defence minister, welcomed the court's judgement and said that while the government recognised the "invaluable contribution" the veterans had made, their claims had been "extremely weak".

"While I have tremendous sympathy with anyone who is ill, the court accepted arguments that the general merits of the claims were extremely weak and said that the claimants had produced no evidence to link illnesses with attendance at the nuclear test," he said in a statement.

"We recognise the invaluable contribution of all service personnel who took part in the nuclear testing programme. We are grateful to them for the part they played in ensuring UK security."

He added that a war pension was available for all former British servicemen suffering from an illness or injury attributable to their time in the military.

earlier related report
Drivers of nuclear weapons got drunk on duty: US probe
Washington (AFP) Nov 22, 2010 - US government drivers trusted with transporting nuclear weapons are sometimes getting drunk while on duty, a Department of Energy investigation showed Monday.

The drivers were involved in 16 alcohol-related incidents from 2007 to 2009, with one agent arrested by police three years ago and two others handcuffed and detained last year, the Energy Department's office of inspector general said in a report.

The Office of Secure Transportation (OST) oversees the shipment of nuclear weapons, weapon parts and special nuclear material, with a workforce of nearly 600 agents.

"Alcohol incidents such as these, as infrequent as they may be, indicate a potential vulnerability in OST's critical national security mission," the report said.

Although the government has taken steps to address drinking by agents or candidates in training, "concerns expressed by some OST managers and the number of alcohol-related incidents occurring over the last three years suggests that further action may be needed," it said.

Two of the 16 alcohol incidents took place when convoy trucks were in "safe harbor" status and the agents had checked into local hotels.

In 2007, an agent was arrested for public intoxication and in 2009, two agents were temporarily detained by police after an unspecified "incident at a local bar," the report said.

Under new rules designed by the government agency, agents are barred from drinking alcohol eight hours before reporting for duty and agent candidates are prohibited from "possessing kegs of beer or quantities of alcohol in excess of what is reasonable for personal use," said the report.

The inspector general's office launched the probe after hearing allegations of alcohol abuse within OST and of incidents at a training facility in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News