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Today's doubling of compensation payments to members of the armed forces suffering the most serious injuries follows sustained pressure from military chiefs, the British Legion and families in a campaign fuelled by the media.
The government was unprepared for the ferocity and nature of the attacks made on British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, where more than 300 troops have been killed and more than 200 seriously injured.
The levels of compensation for soldiers with life-changing injuries, such as a loss of a limb and partial paralysis, have compared extremely unfavourably with payments awarded to civilians for comparatively trivial injuries.
Under new payments, which come into force today but were first announced in July, compensation payments for the most serious injuries have been doubled to a new maximum lump sum of £570,000
More than £10m in extra compensation would be paid to about 2,700 injured servicemen and women, the Ministry of Defence said.
The increases are part of a welfare package involving six Whitehall departments after unprecedented criticism from former and serving armed forces chiefs who directly or indirectly accused ministers of breaking the Military Covenant - the doctrine whereby members of the armed forces and their families are given proper duty of care for their willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the chief of the defence staff, said when the new compensation measures were announced in July: "The visibility of operations ... has raised the issue of the armed forces in society and the consciousness of the nation at large."
An MoD survey at the time revealed unprecedented levels of concern over pay, equipment and morale, and showed that 47% of troops and officers to think regularly of handing in their resignation.
Measures in the welfare package include plans to make sure service personnel who leave the forces are not always put at the back of council or social housing waiting lists and GP registration queues.
The British Legion, military chiefs and the media will make it clear whether the measures are sufficient, or just a beginning.
Source - The Guardian
