Hero's payout is 'too little'

But his family and lawyers are now calling on the Government to raise the settlement further still, beyond the current limit of 285,000.

Brave Ben lost both his legs, as well as suffering several other serious injuries, in a landmine explosion.

He was in a coma for months but clung on to life, to the amazement of doctors, who say he is the most badly-injured soldier ever to survive.

However, he was offered just 152,150 by the Ministry of Defence.

Now he looks set to receive the extra 133,000 after Defence Secretary Des Browne announced compensation rules are to be reformed.

MoD sources have indicated that under the new regime, Mr Parkinson will be eligible for the full award, which means his compensation should increase by 132,850.

Ben's mum Diane Dernie, of Wheatley Hills, today welcomed the review - but said she still feels that even the maximum amount is too little.

She said: "I am pleased that the Government have made efforts to look at this scheme; however, I still feel the limits imposed on compensation are inappropriate and more must be done for all personnel coming back from areas of conflict.

"We had very much hoped that the MOD would look at raising the ceiling and had been led to believe that would happen, though, obviously, there was a change of plan.

"I do wish there was some way of looking at the individual needs of injured soldiers rather than having a fixed maximum amount."

Ben's lawyer Andrew Buckham, a member of the Armed Forces Claims Unit at law firm Irwin Mitchell, added: "Any compensation paid to injured service personnel must be adequate to cover their extensive needs.

"This includes housing, mobility and often, as in Ben's case, 24-hour care for the rest of his life.

"Taking all these factors into consideration, we believe that 285,000 is far too low a pay out to enable soldiers such as Ben to lead a life with the quality he deserves."

The Star revealed in August how Ben - who lost both legs and suffered serious head injuries in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan - was awarded compensation for three of his 37 injuries.

Mr Browne yesterday said personnel who were hurt in the line of duty would be eligible for payouts for all injuries suffered in a single incident - rather than just the three most serious.

He said: "This review will benefit those with the most serious multiple injuries."