Fee-paying Schools

HC Deb 25 October 1993 vol 230 cc412-3W

Mr. Frank Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department have(a) children in fee-paying schools for whom Her Majesty's Government meet the bill because the officials are posted abroad and (b) children in fee-paying schools for whom Her Majesty's Government meet the bill after the officials have returned because their children remain in the school; and if he will detail the cost for the last 15 years for each of these two categories.

Mr. Goodlad

In the time available it has not been possible to retrieve all of the information requested. I shall write to the hon. Member in due course with the balance of the information.

In academic year 1992–93:

1. (a) 313 officials of the Diplomatic Service serving overseas had children in fee-paying schools in the United Kingdom, plus an unquantifiable number who had children educated locally at post. The cost was £3.9 million in the United Kingdom and £2 million overseas.
2. (b) 182 diplomatic service officials serving in the United Kingdom had children in fee-paying schools. The cost was £3.93 million.

The comparable figures for the three previous years, are as follows:

1991–92	(a) 340, £3.91 million, £1.78 million
	(b) 200, £3.75 million
1990–91	(a) 374, £3.88 million, £1.67 million
	(b) 223, £3.65 million
1989–90	(a) 390, £3.55 million, £1.57 million
	(b) 240, £3.54 million

This breakdown does not exist for earlier years, in which the total cost for (a) boarding school allowance and (b) local education was:

	(a) Boarding school allowance (£ million)	(b) Local education (£ million)
1988–89	7.08	1.53
1987–88	7.03	1.5
1986–87	6.81	1.3
1985–86	6.44	1.19
1984–85	6.24	1.22
1983–84	5.94	1

The Overseas Development Administration has five officials serving overseas who have children in fee-paying schools in the United Kingdom. The cost in 1992–93 was £45,228.77. One official serving in the United Kingdom has children in a fee-paying school and the cost was £15,620.00. For earlier years the costs were:

	United Kingdom (£)	Overseas (£)
1991–92	2,093	63,170.81
1990–91	nil	65,879.69
1989–90	38,694.67	86,247.82

We do not "meet the bill" for schools in the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Government make a contribution towards the basic fees, up to a ceiling which is based on the average fee of headmasters' conference schools.