To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the proposal to introduce a medal for service in the Suez Canal Zone has received Royal Assent; and when he expects issue of medals to commence. [128946]

Her Majesty The Queen has agreed in principle to the institution of a new medal for service in the Suez Canal Zone, as announced in the House by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 11 June. Final agreement to the detailed qualifying criteria for the medal is still awaited. It is hoped that the first medals will be issued shortly after receiving the Royal Assent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the qualifying criteria for the Suez Canal Zone medal will be. [128947]

Proposals for the detailed qualifying criteria for the Naval General Service Medal 1915–62 and General Service Medal 1918–62, for service in the Suez Canal Zone between 1951 and 1954, have been passed to the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals for their consideration. They will be published in a White Paper when The Queen has agreed them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the application process for a Suez Canal Zone medal will be. [128948]

Veterans of the Canal Zone, or the next-of-kin of those who have died, will need to apply in writing to the appropriate medal office, giving full name, date of birth and Service number. The addresses of the medal offices are as follows:

Royal Naval Medal Office, Room 1068, Centurion Building, Grange Road, Gosport, Hampshire P013 9XA

Royal Marines Medal Office. Room 038, Centurion Building, Grange Road. Gosport, Hampshire P013 9XA

Army Medal Office, Government Buildings, Worcester Road, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire WR9 8AU

Royal Air Force Medal Office, Room 6, Building 248A, RAF PMA,

RAF Innsworth, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL3 lEZ.

All applications will be acknowledged on receipt and will be dealt with strictly in the order they are received. The Ministry of Defence will arrange for the individual Service files of those who apply to be recalled from the archives and will assess entitlement from these detailed records.