Army deaf claims bill reduced by £1bn

The Minister for Defence is claiming the new system for dealing with army deafness means a saving for taxpayers of around £1bn (€1,269bn).

Michael Smith believes the new strategy of dealing with cases out of court is much more efficient and has reduced legal bills.

Mr Smith said that costs have been reduced to acceptable limits from around £1.25bn (€1,58bn) to one quarter of a billion pounds (€317,434,519).

He added that the much needed, saved funds can now be spent elsewhere such as on equipment and accommodation.

However Mr. Smith also believes that the 5000 current outstanding claims will still be able to be met "in a fairly systematic way".