This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7039304.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Injured para's payout 'too low' | Injured para's payout 'too low' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The mother of one of the army's most seriously injured soldiers has said an increase in compensation for wounded troops is "still nowhere near enough". | The mother of one of the army's most seriously injured soldiers has said an increase in compensation for wounded troops is "still nowhere near enough". |
| Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 23, was awarded £152,150 after losing both legs in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan. | Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 23, was awarded £152,150 after losing both legs in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan. |
| Under new Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans announced on Thursday, the Doncaster soldier will get £285,000. | |
| His mother, Diane Dernie, welcomed the increase but said she believed the MoD treated soldiers as a "commodity". | His mother, Diane Dernie, welcomed the increase but said she believed the MoD treated soldiers as a "commodity". |
| 'Timing and pressure' | 'Timing and pressure' |
| Speaking in Sheffield after the announcement, Ms Dearne said injured soldiers should be supported financially for the rest of their lives. | Speaking in Sheffield after the announcement, Ms Dearne said injured soldiers should be supported financially for the rest of their lives. |
| She said: "Its not only Ben, this burden is on his family now for the rest of Ben's life, we would have hoped that maximum would have been raised so that some of that worry could be taken away." | She said: "Its not only Ben, this burden is on his family now for the rest of Ben's life, we would have hoped that maximum would have been raised so that some of that worry could be taken away." |
| She said "timing and public pressure" had forced the changes to the compensation scheme, rather than any "feeling of responsibility" by the MoD. | She said "timing and public pressure" had forced the changes to the compensation scheme, rather than any "feeling of responsibility" by the MoD. |
| Mrs Dearne said injured soldiers were "figures on a balance sheet" which the MoD wanted "to dispose of . . . as cheaply as possible". | Mrs Dearne said injured soldiers were "figures on a balance sheet" which the MoD wanted "to dispose of . . . as cheaply as possible". |