Aid deal for forces' families

FORCES' families are to benefit from better access to schools, doctors, dentists and degree courses under a massive overhaul of the way the state treats the loved ones of front-line troops.

Defence Secretary Des Browne said the Government was determined to “make a real difference to the everyday lives of our forces and their families”.

Every major Government department was told to reconsider the way it deals with forces families which in future could mean “special treatment” where particular sacrifices have been made.

The move was welcomed in the Westcountry where campaigners have complained about the way public services – particularly the NHS and schools – fail to take into account the unique demands of military life.

With the Navy, RAF and Royal Marines based across the region many of the changes will be keenly felt by communities with long-term links to the military.

It was also announced that compensation for the most seriously injured personnel will double recognition of their life-long challenges with disability as a result of their service.

Publishing the document outlining The Nation's Commitment, Mr Browne said: “Our armed forces are truly inspiring – every day they risk their lives to keep us safe – and it is a fundamental duty of government to support them and their families.”

Senior officers see the welfare package as crucial to building up manning levels across services by improving retention rates.

It comes after an internal Ministry of Defence survey found that 47 per cent of those serving in the Army and Navy – and almost as many personnel in the RAF – regularly considered quitting.

The First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band said Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel and their families “deserve nothing but the best”. 

Plymouth Sutton MP Alison Seabeck said many of her constituents in the city had complained of the difficulties in accessing healthcare and schooling when moving around the country with relatives who are in the forces.

“They will be very pleased with the outcome because for most people it is the small things impacting on their day-to-day lives which makes things more complicated for them than other families.”

She said personnel deployed to conflict zones overseas should not have the “stress and worry” of how their families are coping.

Exeter MP and Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said: “Our service men and women do an outstanding job and we all owe them a debt of gratitude and a duty of care.”

Opposition parties, who have levelled criticism at the Government over the welfare of military families, welcomed the package. But they insisted it would take time to reverse the “damage”.

Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said: “Hopefully, these measures will improve the lot of forces personnel, but they cannot repair the damage already done by the long-term neglect of the welfare of servicemen and women.”

The North Devon MP added: “Neither will the changes make any significant difference to the intense pressures that forces families are put under by the critical overstretch of our armed forces.”

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said the measures echoed Tory proposals, but the package “cannot disguise Labour's decade-long neglect of the armed forces”.

And John Muxworthy, chief executive of the UK National Defence Association, said: “Issues such as compensation or post-service education are merely the tip of the iceberg.”