Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Robert Flello (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 13 September 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Topical Questions

Question: Many former British military personnel are working in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq on UK and US Government security contracts. What steps are the Ministry of Defence and the Secretary of State taking to ensure that when former British military personnel lay their lives on the line, like their currently serving colleagues, the terms, conditions and welfare of those very brave men and women are looked into and they are looked after and taken care of?

Answer: The hon. Gentleman asks a very interesting question. Of course, people who go out to Afghanistan for commercial organisations are usually paid a great deal more than our service personnel, which is often why they have left the Army, for instance, to work for security companies. I pay tribute to their bravery in Iraq, now and in the past, and in Afghanistan, but I am not sure it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence to compensate them should they be injured while on a commercial contract with a commercial company.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 515 c595
Session: 2010-12
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Iraq Peacekeeping operations Afghanistan David Kelly Death Inquiry
Link: View this Topical question on www.publications.parliament.uk