Gemma Doyle MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, responding to reports of serious delays in the processing of compensation claims for injured Armed Forces veterans, said:

“Today’s reports that the Government is taking months and sometimes over a year to process compensation claims for injured veterans are deeply worrying and show a distinct lack of respect for our Armed Forces.

“Service Personnel who have been injured in the line of duty often find that their lives are dramatically changed, and the Government has a duty to provide the financial assistance required for injured personnel to adapt to such circumstances.

“The Government’s argument that a rise in redundancies and “claiming culture” are responsible for the current backlog is deeply offensive and highlights just how out of touch Ministers are with the challenges faced by our veterans.

“Labour now calls upon the Defence Secretary to look into the delays as a matter of urgency so that injured veterans - who have sacrificed so much to protect the national security of this country - are granted the compensation necessary to help them to learn to live with and move on from their injuries with dignity.”