Hartlepool MP Mike Hill’s anger at military veterans’ campaign blow

Campaigners insist the move would lead to greater understanding of the extent of the problem amid fears that more ex-servicemen and women are taking their own lives following harrowing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Mail investigation last year revealed that no fresh study into veteran suicide rates had taken place for nearly a decade.

While defence minister Tobias Ellwood has announced that fresh research is imminent, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) now claims it is not feasible for coroners to record veteran suicides.

A spokesman for the department said there were “complex problems” surrounding the “potential difficulties of accurately establishing a person’s occupational history”.

“For this reason, there are no plans to require coroners to record this kind of information in the context of suicide conclusions,” he added

Campaigners believe up-to-date information will guide ongoing help for veterans suffering from problems such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Mr Hill last year backed calls by retired military figures and charities for coroners to automatically record a dead person’s forces history if it is concluded that they have taken their own life.

He has now said: “It really is a sad thing to see but avoidance by the authorities of taking on the real challenge of acknowledging there is a real problem and consequently stifling the remit of the coroners doesn’t help.

“This campaign is vital to understanding just how important it is to establish the suicide rates amongst veterans and I fully support it.”

The Ministry of Defence (MoD), which has supported compulsory logging of veteran suicides, is considering its repsonse to the MoJ’s decision.