asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to speed up the issue to those entitled of Service medals earned in the 1939–45 war.

Certain steps have already been taken to reduce the delay in processing applications for Second World War medals. The delay which was some two years in 1980 is now down to about 18 months. I regret that I see little prospect of making additional resources available for dealing with applications for these medals that are being made some 36 years after the event.