MoD must check all possible suffers of brain injury

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 30th Nov 2007

Commenting on reports that up to 20% of British troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan may have suffered undiagnosed mild brain injuries from being in the vicinity of large explosions, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey MP said:

"I welcome the MoD's cooperation with America on this serious issue. However, questions must be asked of British officials who seem to be claiming that this condition may be less prevalent than the Americans believe.

"We should always take a precautionary approach to conditions such as this and check everyone who could possibly be affected. This is not a moment for penny-pinching. If the welfare of our troops is genuinely the first concern, the MoD must not cut any corners nor leave any stone unturned in searching for the truth of the scale of this problem and putting in place any available treatment. Yet again this shows us lagging behind America in fulfilling the duty of care to our troops."