Cause and effect.

This business of compensation for the servicemen who were present at the atomic bomb tests back in the 50s is difficult. There is no doubt that they were put at risk, although the risks were not as well appreciated back then as they are today. The problem they will face is showing that the health problems they now have are directly related to those events, and would not have happened anyway. It is a sobering thought that about 1 in 3 of us will develop cancer at some time as a matter of course, so the fact that any of these servicemen are now suffering from cancer has to be seen in the light of that statistic. You might well argue that the Government has a moral responsibility towards these people, but whether there is any legal responsibility is, like I say, difficult.