Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals

Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs written question – answered at on 31 March 2008.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Don Touhig Don Touhig Labour, Islwyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any past or present members of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals has been awarded and accepted an honour, decoration or medal from a foreign, Commonwealth or UK dependency government.

Photo of Meg Munn Meg Munn Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

The Honours and Decorations Committee dates back to the 1930s. It would incur disproportionate cost to check all potential awards to members dating back to its inception.

However we are aware of examples, in recent years, of when Her Majesty The Queen's Private Secretaries, who customarily serve on the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, have received such decorations in their role as senior representative of Her Majesty The Queen in the context of close relations with or visits involving Her Majesty's Realms. As Her Majesty The Queen is Head of State in Realm countries, no permission is required to accept such awards.

Does this answer the above question?

Yes0 people think so

No12 people think not

Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.

Annotations

John Cooper
Posted on 1 Apr 2008 5:09 pm (Report this annotation)

Ms. Munn you don't have to go back to the 1930's just ask the current 8 on the HD Committee, it really is that simple. Perhaps Don if you are reading this you could ask Ms. Munn again.

David Dilley
Posted on 1 Apr 2008 5:25 pm (Report this annotation)

The answer here seems to emphasise the Them and Us attitude of the ruling elite, most of whom wear decorations and medals for simply doing their jobs. They are also permitted to wear them. Well, we received the PJM from a grateful King and Nation for doing our job; ergo, we should be allowed to wear our medal as well. Incidently, the Malaysians are funding the whole project it will not therefore cost this country one pence (can I say a penny?) which I wouild have thought would have pleased her cash strapped Government.

Michael Barton
Posted on 1 Apr 2008 6:43 pm (Report this annotation)

To quote the final two words of Mr Dilley's post I say not only, "cash strapped," but by the day more and more credibility strapped. Prime Minister Brown promised to look into the matter of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia last year but in spite of another of his promises (to be the champion of veterans) has not bothered to do so. Some 35,000 Malaya and Borneo veterans will be very aware of this indifferent attitude and be wondering...what value a man of The Manse who cannot keep such a simple promise?
Could it be that even a Prime Minister is actually frightened of eight Humphries?

John Rushton
Posted on 1 Apr 2008 6:44 pm (Report this annotation)

John Cooper is absolutely right. The current members of the HD Committee could answer that for her.

In fact I could. At zero cost.

Andy Nicoll
Posted on 1 Apr 2008 9:51 pm (Report this annotation)

Would appear that the Permanent under Secretary of State at the FCO, Meg Munn MP is consistent. She consistently uses the 'it would incur disproportionate cost' syndrome; she consistently refuses to answer a simple question properly; and she is consistent in the use of prevarication. Just what are these people paid for if they will not answer questions which are important to the general public.

john fenton
Posted on 3 Apr 2008 11:03 am (Report this annotation)

There exists a certain by-product of the cattle industry which possesses, or so it is widely rumoured in military circles, the capacity to 'baffle brains'.

This particular substance is being implemented, to the point of saturation, by members of the HD Committee and others of the Civil Service in order to deny septuagenarian veterans of the Malaya/Borneo conflicts the right to wear the medal bestowed upon them by a grateful Malaysian nation...for no definable reason, other than to eliminate the need for the HD Committee to concede that they made a stupid error and have subsequently spent two years (and Lord knows how much of the taxpayers money?) attempting to justify their ineptitude and rationalize away that stupidity.

Ms Munn is ably performing the Parliamentary duties to which her unwitting electorate elevated her, by persistently acting as an inconscient conduit for that aforementioned 'substance'.

Bravo Ms Munn!