My question is to the Minister for Defence because Defence normally categorises defence deployments. Minister, the decision to recategorise Rifle Company Butterworth is welcome, but other deployments remain in dispute; for example, the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, Operation Astute, Operation Habitat, and UN observers during the Lebanese Civil War. Anyone challenging disputed categorisations gets the right royal run-around from Defence, who made the original decisions and refuse to admit they got it wrong. Minister, will you finally address this and establish a genuinely independent, merits based review?

I thank the member for his question and for his acknowledgement of the reclassification of those who have served at Rifle Company Butterworth, which came by virtue of the Recognising their sacrifice report that was prepared by the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal. What that decision did was to elevate the recognition of service for those who had served at Rifle Company Butterworth between 1970 and 1989 from what had been previously defined as 'peacetime activities' to 'non-warlike activities', which is an elevation, as you're aware, and that is a different recognition of that period of service. That process, in a sense, answers the broader question that the member has asked, which was referring to other deployments or other operations that have occurred in our history. The Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal, through the Recognising their sacrifice report, has jurisdiction here in looking at the service that has been provided by those who wear our nation's uniform in different contexts throughout our history. It is appropriate that that be considered on an ongoing basis so that we do get this right from a historical point of view, and we will continue to work through that process.