An Iraqi bomb took his eyes – but now his country will repay the debt it owes him

WHEN the vehicle Ben Shaw was travelling in was hit by a roadside bomb which had been hidden in the Iraq dirt for months, the effects were devastating.

Shrapnel tore into the young soldier, ripping through his flesh, taking his sight and almost his life.

The army paid him an "insulting" £212,000 – which eventually became £263,000 – in acknowledgement.

Yesterday, however, he learned his compensation will be greatly increased as part of government measures aimed at improving the standards of living for soldiers and veterans.

Payouts for the worst injuries will rise from £285,000 to £570,000, with guaranteed annual income for permanently disabled personnel raising their total lifetime benefit to £1 million or more.

Servicemen and women will also enjoy better access to school places, NHS doctors and dentists, and will be entitled to free college or university education after serving for six years or more.

Defence Secretary Des Browne unveiled a comprehensive package of improvements to service welfare in the Commons yesterday.

The measures, set out in a "service personnel command paper", will be implemented by the Scottish Government and Westminster.

Mr Browne said: "None of this can make up for the injuries that some people will bear for the remainder of their lives.

"Nothing can do that. But we owe this immense debt, and while it can never sufficiently be repaid, we should – and will – do our utmost to acknowledge it."

Last night, speaking from the Scottish home which he bought with his payout, Mr Shaw, 25, said: "Now I'll be able to pay off my mortgage and put some cash in a high-interest account.

"Even now that the compensation lump sum is really good, the government does not seem to see that bills like BT and council tax do not come in a lump sum. They are monthly.

"If I had had 20 years in the army, I would probably have earned a lot of money – the equivalent of my lump sum if not more – but this compensation has to last me the rest of my life."

He is aware that, because of his disability, he will find it difficult to get a job when he receives his medical discharge from the army.

After the explosion, in February 2007, his colleagues rushed him to hospital saving his life. He lost both eyes and almost an arm.

The armed forces rate injuries from one to 15, with one being those who are worst off – probably brain damaged and requiring round-the-clock care. Mr Shaw – who has been in the army for seven years – was placed in the second category.

He said: "For the families of the lads in category one (the compensation increase] is massive because it enables them to fully adapt their house and pay for care. For me, it's good because it secures the future for me and my wife."

However, he said the levels of payout were still low when compared to other cases, such as a typist getting £470,000 for repetitive strain injury.

Mr Shaw, who was a private in the 2nd Battalion the Light Infantry, welcomed the measures for serving personnel, saying that previously "there was nothing the army could offer to soldiers and their families".

Major Andrew Ward, 38, who is second in command of the 3rd Rifles, based at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, served with Mr Shaw in Iraq and said his ordeal brought home to the men the importance of a decent compensation package. He said the increase was "a good, positive step" and also hailed the improved access to schoolsl.

Charities Help for Heroes and the British Legion also welcomed the package. But lawyers for one soldier, Lance-Bombardier Ben Parkinson, who lost both legs and suffered brain damage from a landmine explosion in Afghanistan in 2006, said it did not go far enough.

The measures were announced on the eve of a report from Westminster's cross-party public accounts committee which states that young soldiers leaving the armed forces need more help.

The committee says that while resettlement support for ex-service personnel is generally good, those leaving after just a few years do not fare as swell.

Help with childcare costs and finding a home

MEASURES introduced to help servicemen and women over the past six months – most recently in yesterday's support paper – include:

• Armed forces childcare voucher scheme which allows service personnel to save up to £1,200 a year on childcare costs.

• Free post scheme for small packages for those on operations to be extended indefinitely through the Royal Mail.

• Council tax relief payment, worth £142, for an average six-month tour.

• Dental services in areas with a large population of people in the forces increased.

• Priority treatment within the NHS for any veteran who needs treatment following an injury in service.

• Waiver of tuition fees for servicemen and women leaving after at least six years of service who want to study for an HNC, HND or full degree.

• A change in the guidance on homelessness in Scotland to make sure that vulnerable servicemen and women leaving the services are recognised as having a particular need.

• Priority access to the low-cost initiative for first time buyers (Lift) shared equity scheme to help former service personnel get a foot on the property ladder.

Long overdue and far from perfect, but a move in the right direction

Clive Fairweather

A PACKAGE like this was long overdue, both to satisfy the needs of those in the service and also to solve the overstretch problems which are particularly affecting families.

It is also badly needed by those who have been maimed physically and mentally in the service of their country. It is unfortunate for those who have come before that it has taken two wars like Iraq and Afghanistan running together – plus pressure from the media, families and charities – for the government to finally come up with this series of measures.

It is also a measure of the determination of the Chief of Defence Staff and senior figures at Whitehall that this time something is really going to be done.

The term veteran always conjures up the image of an older person, but charities like Combat Stress in Ayrshire, which deals with mental health issues, and those dealing with victims with physical injuries are more and more being taken up by young men and women. They have their whole lives ahead of them.

For those who are severely injured in the service of their country, the last thing they want is to become a burden on their families and this package is undoubtedly a considerable step towards addressing what has been major unfairness.

Servicemen and women join the military knowing that they may have to put their life and limbs on the line but always hope that if the unthinkable happens, somehow the country will look after them.

Some might argue that these claims should be back-dated, and I am sure they should, but

it should be remembered that the increased levels of money involved in this package will come out of the defence budget which is already under huge pressure.

On its own, this package does not provide all the answers for current serving servicemen and women. The problem for the government is that these costs will further erode an already hard-pressed defence budget and there is little room for manoeuvre, even if the political will of leaders like Gordon Brown is there.

• Clive Fairweather is a former commanding officer of the King's Own Scottish Borderers.