Will the Ministry of Defence reduce spending on perk for Britain's military top-brass?

Britain's military top brass receive nearly £100m a year in special allowances and benefits, with almost £87m of that spent on paying for private school fees for their children. Figures released to The Independent on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act show that, in the last financial year, £86.8m was spent on private education for officers' children.

Relatives of British service personnel killed in combat as a result of equipment failures reacted angrily to the news that senior officers enjoy such benefits while troops on the ground struggle with inadequate kit.

The department is now considering staff support based on a percentage of their salaries. "It was clear that the higher ranks were benefiting significantly from this scheme," a senior MoD source said yesterday. "It is agreed that if we are going to offer this sort of support, it should be fairly spread across all ranks."

The revelations come at a time of chronic staff and equipment shortages across the military. Just last week the MoD was again criticised by a coroner for failing to supply basic equipment that he said could have saved a soldier's life. Corporal Mark Wright, 27, died after a mine exploded while he attempted to help an injured colleague trapped in a minefield in September 2006. A helicopter with a winch was not available to rescue the pair. A Chinook without a winch was sent, but it could not land, and the "downwash" triggered the explosion.

Read the full The Independent article here.