An estimated £50bn compensation bill the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is facing over hearing loss will put ‘huge’ financial strain the UK’s already stretched military, an expert has warned.
Gavin Cooper, a former Parachute Regiment soldier, spoke after the High Court last week ruled in favour of military personnel who suffered hearing damage as a result of their service.
Estimates suggest around 300,000 former military personnel suffer from hearing damage and tinnitus, with tens of thousands potentially eligible for compensation.
Settlements are expected to range in value from several thousand pounds to over £500,000 in extreme cases.
An MoD lawyer previously told the court that £50bn has been put aside to deal with potential claims.
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At the same time, the UK is facing increasing global threats including from hostile actors like Russia and China, the fallout from the war with Iran, and a readjustment to an America under Donald Trump that no longer sees European stability as a priority.
Mr Cooper believes that despite defence budgets increasing to try and counter the rising threats, the level of compensation will ‘undeniably’ put strain on the military’s ability to be as effective as possible.
‘Defence is already under strain with the multiple threats facing the UK,’ Mr Cooper, who co-founded military compensation website Claims Bible, told Metro.
‘Europe is facing Russia in Ukraine with diminishing American input and America is no longer seen by the world as a bastion of security.
‘This has led to countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia to look increasingly to China for stability.
‘This ignores the fact that it also has its own agenda, namely reunifying with Taiwan.
‘Given this context, having to divert potentially tens of billions of pounds into compensation payments will inevitably affect what the UK can spend on essential equipment, training and technology to ensure the country is ready to effectively deal with threats.
‘This requires constant investment, and taking vital funding away from it will likely put huge strain on the UK’s military finances.
‘If it continues at this level, it could raise serious questions about the UK’s ability to maintain a fully effective fighting force.
‘This isn’t just a legal or financial issue. It has the potential to affect national security.’
Last week’s hearing paved the way for future claims after it awarded former Royal Marine Christopher Lambie and ex-soldier Jack Craggs £131,150 and £19,445 respectively for hearing loss linked to their service.
The court found that military personnel who suffered hearing loss through their service should be allowed to claim the cost of private hearing aids, together with damages to reflect potential future difficulties in finding work due to hearing loss.
Up to 300,000 personnel are believed to be affected, although law firm Hugh James estimates that at least 70,000 personnel may be eligible for compensation for hearing damage from their time in the armed forces.
Mr Cooper said the average claim could sit at around £72,000.
They can be much higher when personnel’s lives, including their post-military employment limitations, are detrimentally affected by hearing loss.
Mr Cooper also claimed that serving personnel are still suffering hearing loss because the military doesn’t yet have equipment which protects personnel’s ears while allowing them to communicate effectively under battlefield conditions.
All this has created a significant legal headache for the MoD. The estimated £50bn figure for hearing loss payouts equates to more than half (57%) of the MoD’s total annual expenditure of £88.4bn.
The MoD launched a ‘matrix’ scheme to streamline payouts to military personnel who can prove their suffered hearing loss during their military careers.
It sets out fixed payout bands depending on the severity, allowing claims to be processed without the need for lengthy court proceedings.
Mr Cooper said the £50bn figure must be taken alongside other ongoing compensation schemes including the Afghan Data Leak and policies which discriminated against LGBTQ personnel to gain a complete understanding the total compensation bill.
Combined, they are expected to cost the MoD millions of pounds on top of the Matrix scheme.
He said: ‘When you are looking at figures on this scale, it is inevitably going to put a huge strain on military finances.
‘These are very significant sums, and they come at a time when defence is already under pressure.’
A MoD spokesperson said: ‘This government is providing the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, with £270bn being invested in defence in this Parliament alone, ensuring that we can meet the threats of our time.’
On noise Induced hearing loss, they added: ‘The court has provided important clarity on the way military noise-induced hearing loss claims are assessed, including rejecting speculative and unproven approaches.
‘We are carefully considering the judgment and next steps, and we will not comment further on the detail while that process is ongoing.
‘The health and wellbeing of our personnel is our utmost priority.
‘Extensive measures are in place to help prevent injury among those who are necessarily exposed to higher risks through their duties, and we continually review and improve our policies to ensure they remain effective.’
On the previous treatment of LGBT personnel, they said: ‘We deeply regret the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 which was wholly unacceptable and this is not representative of Defence today.
‘We are committed to righting these wrongs through tangible actions, including through the LGBT Financial and non-Financial Restorative Measures for those affected.’
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