SOLDIERS injured in service could be in line for bigger compensation pay-outs, a senior army officer suggested yesterday.
General Sir David Richards, who leads the army's land forces, said the government agreed with the military that the payments were "not quite right".
His remarks follow public fury over the modest payments given to soldiers who have had limbs blo
wn off in war zones compared to compensation given to office-bound civilians suffering repetitive strain injury.
The maximum amount a wounded soldier can claim is a lump sum of £285,000 for serious injury such as the loss of two limbs or paralysis from the neck down.
Meanwhile, an RAF civilian typist was recently awarded £484,000 for injuring her thumb. An Iraqi teenager who was accidentally shot by a British soldier also recently received £2 million.
The discrepancy has been described as "grotesque" by relatives of maimed soldiers.
But the wide variations are set to change, according to Sir Richard. It is believed that the new payments could raise the lump sum to up to three times the current amount enshrined in the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
General Richards said: "I can reassure you that there is an acceptance in the Ministry of Defence, not just in the military, that this whole area needs re-examination."
But the Ministry of Defence played down the suggestion.
Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said: "We have kept the system under review – and will continue to keep it under review.
"I want to reassure the families of our brave injured service personnel that we will continue to honour the sacrifice that they have made."
The full article contains 278 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
