Lessons must be learned from the deaths of young soldiers at Deepcut Barracks, the Prime Minister said today.

And he pledged that the Government would cooperate fully if fresh inquests were ordered into how the four recruits died.

Mr Blair was told at Commons question time that the families of the dead soldiers were angry that the Defence Ministry had ruled out a public inquiry.

Liberal Democrat Lembit Opik (Montgomeryshire) said that decision, announced earlier this week, flew in the face of police advice.

''Parents of the four recruits who died are angry at the resistance to hold an independent public inquiry even though the deputy chief constable of Surrey Police has said the issues require further independent scrutiny,'' he said.

Mr Blair, expressing his condolences to the families, added: ''The families can apply to the Attorney General for authority to ask the High Court to order fresh inquests into the deaths.

''We would of course cooperate fully should such an order be made.

''There has been a very detailed police investigation of the deaths with some 900 witnesses being interviewed and 1,500 statements taken over 15 months.

''We are grateful to the chief constable of Surrey Police for his report.

''It is obviously important, whatever happens, that we learn the lessons from this and take action now in areas where improvements are needed.''

James Collinson, aged 17, Geoff Gray, 17, Sean Benton, 20, and Cheryl James, 18 all died from gunshot wounds at the base between 1995-2002.

Their parents have refused to accept official explanations that they killed themselves and have pledged further legal action.

The Surrey Police report, the sixth prompted by the deaths, uncovered a culture of bullying at Deepcut and failure to learn the lessons of the past.