- Ministry of Defence bosses deemed demands for £2m 24/7 hotline too costly
- Despite this MoD chiefs spent £1.5m on consultants to advise on cost cutting
- Currently wrestling with a £20billion budget black hole across the armed forces
- If you wish to support our campaign, email mark.nicol@mailonsunday.co.uk
Jonathan Bucks For The Mail On Sunday
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Military bosses may have deemed a £2 million hotline too costly – but they have no qualms about blowing £1.5 million on specialist consultants to advise them how to cut costs.
MoD chiefs wrestling with a £20 billion budget black hole are now so concerned about balancing the books they plan to spend the much needed cash on expert advice about slashing the Armed Forces’ budget.
According to plans for an MoD Efficiency Assurance Review, seen by The Mail on Sunday: ‘The MoD has undertaken significant assurance work internally over the summer of 2017 over its efficiency savings.
Military bosses may have deemed a £2million hotline too costly despite blowing £1.5 million on specialist consultants to advise them how to cut costs (Pictured: Prince Harry in Afghanistan)
‘However, the financial challenge faced by MoD is so significant that the confidence with which we need to assure ourselves and Government of savings plans needs to be increased.
MAIL ON SUNDAY CAMPAIGN: Helpline for heroes
The Mail on Sunday, backed by former Army chief Lord Dannatt, is demanding that defence chiefs set up a 24/7 helpline for traumatised troops – manned by mental healthcare experts in a bid to stem the tide of soldiers committing suicide.
‘There are specific challenges in the early years of the financial plan, where the gap between the funding required and that provided by HM Treasury is significant.’
As part of the contract, which has just been put out to tender, an external company will have to answer questions including: ‘How credible is the revised efficiency plan within the MoD financial forecast?’ and: ‘Do the planning assumptions currently used stack up?’
Tory MP Leo Docherty, who sits on the Commons Defence Committee, branded the plans ‘obscene’ and urged the MoD to spend the money on key military services.
An MoD spokesman said: ‘We are making good progress towards our challenging efficiency targets but are not complacent and this is just an example of how we are ensuring we remain on track.’
Have you been affected by the MoD’s provision of mental healthcare to troops? If you wish to support our campaign, please email mark.nicol@mailonsunday.co.uk or make contact on Twitter @MarkNicolMos
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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5293249/Military-bosses-wont-spend-2m-mental-health-hotline.html