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Service Personnel

My hon. Friend, in the work that he did on the recognition study that he carried out so effectively and efficiently—indeed, he distinguished himself by delivering it on time to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister—has made a significant contribution in a very short period to the objective that we all share that, as a nation, we should recognise what our armed forces and those who support them do in the service of the country. So I pay tribute to him and reciprocate his words. I am very grateful to him for the warm words that he has used in the House about my contribution, although many people deserve congratulations on and credit for what we have achieved over the past couple of years. My hon. Friend is quite right to say that there is a predilection to compare apples with pears in relation to the amounts paid out by the no-fault compensation scheme and the awards in the civil courts. Frankly, I gave up trying to explain the difference, because no one seemed to be listening, but we might begin to win that battle now that we have figures that aggregate the guaranteed income payment and the lump sum into a proportionate amount, which I believe that people will consider appropriate compensation.