BOURNEMOUTH MP and Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood has welcomed a Ministry of Defence announcement that it is to ‘study’ suicide rates among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, after shock reports revealed that more than 40 former service people had died by suicide this year.

Mr Ellwood, who is in Australia at the Invictus Games, said the "vital" new study will further the MoD's understanding of the "wellbeing of our people so we can continue to provide the best possible care to all who have served".

"Our Armed Forces do a magnificent job, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to each man and woman who has laid their life on the line to keep our country safe," he said. "Most transition successfully into civilian life once they have put away their uniforms, but we cannot afford to be complacent. Mental health problems can affect us all, and the wellbeing of our people remains a top priority."

However, the minister, a former serving soldier, has been slated on social media over the past few months over veterans who have taken their own lives. A social media user calling themselves ‘For Our Veterans’ accused him of ignoring ‘the growing numbers’ of suicides following the death of a soldier in August.

And the news that the MoD were to study suicides came less than 24 hours after a piece written by Mr Ellwood appeared in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, in which he claimed that the ‘stereotype’ of ‘damaged military' is being ‘reinforced’.

The issue of veterans’ mental health has been growing in recent months.

In July the House of Commons Defence Committee published its latest report on the scale of mental health issues in the armed forces, warning that the number of personnel and veterans seeking mental health care has nearly doubled over the past decade, with particularly high levels among those who saw combat in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Nearly 15,000 people have signed a petition calling on the government to ensure that all suicides by veterans are recorded as such by UK coroners so that the issue can be properly recorded.

Chief Executive of the military mental welfare charity Combat Stress, Sue Freeth, said: “Knowing how many veterans have taken their own lives will reveal whether the issue is getting bigger,” she said. “In the last decade, the number of veterans seeking help from Combat Stress has increased by 97 per cent, with more than 2,000 new veterans coming to us each year.”

She said former servicepeople who felt under stress, or families worried about a loved-one, should get in contact on the charity’s 24-hour Helpline on 0800 138 1619.

* combatstress.org.uk.