Soldiers injured in service could be in line for bigger payouts, a senior army officer suggested yesterday.

General Sir David Richards, Commander-in-Chief of Land Forces, claimed that ministers “share the view that the compensation package is not quite right”. Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, he added: “I can reassure you that there is an acceptance in the Ministry of Defence, not just in the military, that this whole area needs reexamination.”

His comments follow concern at the levels of compensation paid to Service personnel who have lost limbs and sustained other serious injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defence said its position had not changed. In a statement, Les Browne, the Defence Secretary, said the Government had a duty to look after injured soldiers. “For the first time, the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme introduced a tax-free lump sum together with monthly tax-free and index-linked payments for life for the more seriously injured. Over a lifetime this can amount to many hundreds of thousands of pounds. We have kept the system under review and will continue to keep it under review,” he said.

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