SOLDIERS denied PAYOUTS because MoD wants to keep the SCALE of causalities SECRET. * Daily Mail Saturday, September 23-2006 BETRAYAL OF WAR WOUNDED BY Matthew Hickley And James Chapman WOUNDED British soldiers are being denied vital assistance because the GOVERNMENT refuses to reveal a list of casualties it was claimed last night. Insiders at charities offering help to injured servicemen say the Ministry of Defence will NOT pass on their contact details, citing data protection laws. But opposition MPs and charity sources accuse officials of simply being determined to hide the TRUE numbers of CASUALTIES in Iraq and Afghanistan. A British commander in Afghanistan has already warned that the Army there is sustaining higher casualties than official figures suggest. The claims will reignite the row over the level of official information on British casualties. Limited figures are published, giving the numbers of seriously injured and those flown home for treatment. BUT no figures exist for minor wounds and there is no break-down of the types of injuries suffered, or information on those suffering psychological damage. Some swerving soldiers claim men who have their wounds patched up in the field are being ignored in published statistics. One source close to the Army Benevolent Fund , the highly-respected veterans’ charity, claimed the MoD’s culture of secrecy ‘frankly disgraceful’ -and very frustrating.’ The insider told the Daily Mail ‘We want to get the message across to people that the ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND -is hear to help, but that’s difficult it we don’t know who they are. ‘For reasons best known to the Government, they won’t give us details of those injured or wounded who may need help.’ Although wounded soldiers were given information about the fund, he said , many were in no state to take it in properly Another former Army officer told the Mail yesterday: ‘Somebody somewhere doesn’t want us to know how many British soldiers have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many are all spread out in hospitals across the country , or have been medically discharged.’ THE ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND Gives out more than £4million each year in grants to those with disabilities or mental illness, veterans struggling with homelessness or unemployment, and elderly veterans or dependants. It works closely with individual regimental associations and the ROYAL BRITISH LEGION. Tory security spokesman Patrick Mercer, an ex-infantry commanding officer, said: ‘This is another damaging blow to Army morale. If the MoD was with-holding information as part of an attempt to obscure the number of casualties, it would be a scandal and offensive to servicemen and women who have put their lives on the line for their Government and their Country.’ * [No serviceman or women should ever be laying down their lives for a GOVERNMENT or for that matter as in the case of IRAQ and Afghanistan for Her Majesty’s Opposition Party who blindly supported an illegal war and permitted Tony Blair to please his buddy George. WARS are fought to PROTECT THE PEOPLE and THE COUNTRY and NOT a GOVERNMENT -who as we all know got us into the growing bloodbath in the first place. We all know that GOVERNMENTS are capable of using war to distract from its failing political problems at home and withdraw rights and liberties to fit in with their plans for our inclusion in a monstrous corrupt unaccountable police state a UNITED STATES OF EUROPE. * To return: Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said: ‘It is clear the MoD wants to play down the whole issue of injuries., Earlier this week it emerged that injured soldiers are being treated in mixed wards in the NHS hospitals because there are too many of them to be accommodated in MILITARY WARDS. Publicly senior officials at the ABF were yesterday anxious to avoid criticing the MoD. While that acknowledged there had been ‘frustrations’, they claimed the situation is improving. Paul Cummings, director of GRANTS and WELFARE, -said : @ I would accept that the MoD system hasn’t been as good as it might be BUT with experience they’re getting better at advising people where they can go for help.’ SO FAR 40 British servicemen have been killed in Afghanistan and 118 in Iraq. Latest figures for Afghanistan show that 125 people have been medically evacuated to the UK. More than 7,000 UK personnel have been treated in military hospitals in Iraq, with almost 5,000 evacuated to the UK. An estimated 260 [?] have been injured in combat. According to ,the MoD, privacy rules in the 1998 Data Protection Act mean details in each soldier’s medical file can’t be passed on to third parties without the express permission of the soldier concerned. Officials could NOT explain why that should stop the MoD asking every wounded servicemen for permission to pass their contact details to charities. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘We advise all injured personnel how they can access all Armed Forces charities including the ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND As such these individuals can if they wish, contact these organizations directly.’ This weekend the ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND -is raising money through a spectacular MUSIC and LIGHT show called ‘Music on Fire!’ At Sandhurst. * * * [The evidence of our brave soldiers being treated in mixed wards in NHS hospitals is a clear sign that there is an obvious vast increase in the wounded and injures in Iraq but even more so in Afghanistan. No one should in 2006 be in a mixed ward particularly our servicemen who should be in a Military Hospital with others who have suffered -as only with their own can they come to terms with their injuries. If a serviceman is in a NHS hospital he should be in a private room until he can be moved back to an Army treatment centre. It is about time the MoD got their finger out and started to treat our wounded as the most precious responsibility they have to deal with apart from the need to give our soldiers the best vital protective kit and equipment that money can buy.] * * * SEPTEMBER/06
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Daniel Hannan - Forming an OPPOSITION to the EU
* GORDON BROWN WANTS TRUST-BUT WHY WON'T HE TRUST YOU? * 67% want powers back from EU-ICM poll-June 21-2007-95% of British people want a REFERENDUM * FOR A REFERENDUM SIGN TODAY ON LINE * July 18-2007
VOTE -2007
WITH THE ONLY PARTY WITH A MANDATE TO SET YOU FREE
THE UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY THE QUESTION THAT THE VOTER MUST ANSWER
‘DO YOU WISH TO BE GOVERNED BY YOUR OWN PEOPLE, LAW AND CUSTOM OR BY THE CORRUPT ,EXPENSIVE UNACCOUNTABLE AND CORRUPT ALIEN BUSYBODY BRUSSELS’
-SIMPLE IS IT NOT?
TO RECLAIM YOUR DEMOCRACY DON'T VOTE FOR THE TRIPARTITE PARTIES IN WESTMINSTER BUT SMALL PARTIES THAT SPEAK THEIR MINDS WITHOUT SPIN AND LIES. *
ONLY WILL BRING DEMOCRACY BACK TO THE ENGLISH PEOPLE *
SCOTLAND -ITS PARLIAMENT -WALES-ITS ASSEMBLY-ENGLAND-STILL AWAITS ITS PARLIAMENT-WHY?
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* [All underlined words have a separate bulletin]
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