Families of dead troops ‘let down by the MOD’

THE families of troops killed or injured in action do not get enough support from Whitehall officials, MPS said yesterday.

They criticised as ‘ disappointing’ the Government’s refusal to review the help it offered to the relatives of those who died or were severely maimed on the battlefield.

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee also said it ‘remained concerned’ over the future care of British servicemen returning from warzones with serious brain injuries.

The cross-party committee called on the Ministry of Defence to review the support provided for both groups. The MPS also criticised the Whitehall department for ignoring demands for ‘some improvement’ in its care of casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Defence chiefs said that considerable action had already been taken to enhance the support available to families and service personnel following death or injury, but that they were not ‘complacent’.

The committee spoke out after receiving the Government’s response to the recommendations in its report on military casualties, which was published in December.

Conservative MP James Arbuthnot, the committee chairman, said: ‘The medical care and rehabilitation provided to injured Armed Forces personnel is excellent. However, we remain concerned about the long-term support of people once they leave the Armed Forces.

‘We are also disappointed that the MOD does not intend to review its support to the families of deployed and injured personnel.’

In its original report, the committee urged the Government to commission a review into the long-term needs of former servicemen and women who suffered brain injuries in battle.

An MOD spokesman said: ‘We are not complacent and we continue to learn from those experiencing injury and bereavement, to improve further the support we provide.’