Commenting on Sir Jock Stirrup’s evidence to the Iraq Inquiry, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“This is yet more evidence that the Government’s pursuit of this disastrous war recklessly endangered the lives of our service men and women.

“The invasion of Iraq should never have gone ahead. But having done so, the least the Government could have done was ensure that our troops were properly equipped. Instead, they ignored the warnings of military commanders.

“Sir Jock Stirrup’s comments demonstrate that Labour irresponsibly overstretched our forces and endangered the mission in Afghanistan by trying to fight in Iraq at the same time.”

Almost 2/3 of the RAF’s Merlin helicopters, which the Government has hailed as a key part of increasing capacity and ‘ideally suited’ to Afghanistan, are incapable of carrying out their planned missions, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

Answers to Parliamentary Questions have shown that of the 19 RAF Merlins in the ‘Forward Fleet’ (those aircraft which frontline commands are meant to be able to use), just seven – or 37% – are  classed as ‘available’ (defined as ‘considered capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date’).

The answers also showed that only half (23 out of 46) of the Army’s Apache attack helicopters which were meant to be available to frontline commands actually were available.

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Commenting on Des Browne’s admission that concern was expressed over the number of helicopters even before Britain expanded its role in Afghanistan, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“Labour’s slow response to a clear shortage of helicopters in Afghanistan has been shameful. Des Browne has admitted that there were concerns years ago, yet it took two changes of Defence Secretary before we finally saw new Chinooks ordered – and even these will not be available till 2012 at best.

“This is yet more evidence of the Government’s persistent failure to act on the needs of our frontline troops.”

Commenting on Defence Minister Bill Rammell’s claims that the effectiveness of the armed forces is under threat from the ‘risk-averse’ culture of modern civilian life, and that the public must accept that no protective measures or upgraded kit can guarantee their safety, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“This looks like an attempt by the Government to cover its own back on equipment failures.

“It is misleading of Bill Rammell to suggest that the only issue is a risk-averse civilian culture, when there have been significant examples of kit shortages endangering life.

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Commenting on today’s Government statement on medical care for veterans, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“This set of announcements is a case of too little too late.

“We have known for some times that many doctors and veterans are unaware that former servicemen and women who are injured while serving are entitled to priority NHS treatment.

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The company responsible for providing forces family accommodation received 234,000 call-outs for repairs – an average of over five per home – in the last year, according to figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats.

The number of repair calls received by Modern Housing Solutions, which is contracted by the MoD to maintain around 44,000 homes for the families of service personnel, also represents an increase of 42,000 – or 22% – on the 192,000 call-outs received in April 2006-March 2007.

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