Compensation payments and legal costs arising from claims from Defence Force members for alleged loss of hearing amounted to £30.3 million last year, the largest non-pay item of spending by the Department of Defence.
Some £36.8 million was spent on all compensation claims, including a relatively small number of claims not related to alleged hearing loss; £16 million was initially allocated, but a supplementary estimate of £22 million was voted during the year. A further 9,036 claims in respect of alleged loss of hearing and 714 other compensation claims were outstanding at December 31st, 1997.