16.1 | The welfare of Service Personnel

and had established a close link with the Treasury to ensure a rapid response to

individual cases.15 A number of changes had been agreed, including:

• the Longer Separated Service Allowance and Longer Service at Sea Bonus

enhancements would be introduced earlier than planned;

• the introduction of new arrangements to support close relatives of injured

Service Personnel hospitalised in the UK; and

• enhanced support for Service Personnel and their dependants evacuated from

permanent posts in the Middle East.

27. The new arrangement to support close relatives of injured Service Personnel

referred to by Lt Gen Palmer was the extension of the Dangerously Ill Forwarding of

Relatives (DILFOR) scheme (which previously provided for two people to visit seriously

injured Service Personnel in hospitals overseas for up to 10 days, at public expense)

to include hospitals in the UK.16 The support provided to injured Service Personnel and

their families is described in Section 16.2.

28. The MOD reported in December 2003 that the FWSE had been well received.17

A survey undertaken by the Army Families’ Federation (AFF) suggested that

communication between families and deployed Service Personnel was good.

29. The FWSE was increased from £1 to £2.20 per week per person deployed on

1 November 2008.18 The increase meant that a typical infantry battalion could expect

to receive in the region of £30,000 to support families during an operational tour.19

30. Lt Gen Palmer told the Inquiry that, rather than deliver a fixed OWP for Op TELIC,

he worked closely with PJHQ to ensure that the OWP evolved over time to reflect “the

views from soldiers on the ground”.20

On 24 March 2003, in an exchange with Mr Frank Roy in the House of Commons, Mr Blair

undertook to try to ensure that arrangements to provide a free parcel service to troops in

the Gulf were put in place as soon as possible.21

The free parcel service began on 17 April.22

15 Minute Palmer to COSSEC, 9 April 2003, ‘Personnel Issues Update – Op TELIC’.

16 Minute MOD [junior official] to HQ 2 Div, 25 October 2003, ‘Welfare Provision for Op TELIC 3 – Chain of

Command Instruction’.

17 Ministry of Defence, Operations in Iraq: Lessons for the Future, December 2003.

18 Defence Instructions and Notices, October 2008, ‘Amendments to the Family Welfare Grant’.

19 Paper MOD, June 2010, ‘Operational Welfare Enhancements as at June 2010’.

20 Public hearing, 21 July 2010, page 3.

21 House of Commons, Official Report, 24 March 2003, column 28.

22 Letter Davies to Cannon, 19 February 2004, ‘Iraq: Termination of Free Postal Service’.

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