EMPLOYERS could be put off hiring ex-service people by the unfair perception that they are “doolally”, Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood has said.

The defence minister and former army captain said films had contributed to the idea, as had the success of charities in highlighting those veterans with problems.

In an interview with the parliamentary magazine The House, Mr Ellwood said: “We suffer somewhat from perhaps a perception that if you’ve served you somehow might be damaged.”

He added: “Now, that’s because the movies that we watch. It’s because of the success of charities in promoting images and so on.

“But absolutely the majority, 90 per cent of those who do the transition process that we have are in education or a job within six months of leaving. And that’s great news, but we need to communicate that further.

“I should add that of the proportion of people that do require help for no fault of their own, we need to make sure help is available.”

Asked whether this could harm the employment prospects for ex-service people, he said: “Completely. You could have this attitude where an employer who’s not familiar with the armed forces, they may say, ‘Two people, one has served in the armed forces, are they going to go doolally on me?’”

Six former heads of the armed forces recently said Britain should be ashamed of its neglect for war veterans’ mental health.

Mr Ellwood said he had invited them to the Ministry of Defence to talk about what was being done.

He said the ministry was studying soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to monitor their wellbeing.

Mr Ellwood was a captain in the Royal Green Jackets in the 1990s. He still serves as a reservist in the 77th brigade, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In the same interview, Mr Ellwood said Britain should occupy the international stage “more vigorously”, and called for more defence spending.