Written question asked by James Gray (Conservative) on Monday, 30 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 November 2006. It was answered by Derek Twigg (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 November 2006 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Amputees

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British servicemen and women have become amputees on active service in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan.

Answer: Information on the number of British servicemen and women serving in Iraq or Afghanistan who have become amputees on active service is not held centrally. To find this number would require the examination of the individual medical records of each patient who has been classified as Very Seriously Injured (VSI) or Seriously Injured (SI) in each theatre. These records can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of the individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality.The Ministry of Defence publishes data on battle and non-battle casualties that have resulted from our operations in Iraq from March 2003 and Afghanistan from 1 January 2006. The centrally available casualty statistics can be found on the Ministry of Defence website http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInIraqBritishCasualties.htm. The method of reporting for Iraq was changed slightly at the end of 2005 so figures are quoted separately for before and after 1 January 2006.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 98910; 451 c1445W
Session: 2005-06
Related items: Deposited Paper DEP 07/2165
Thursday, 18 October 2007
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Subjects: Iraq Peacekeeping operations Afghanistan
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk