§ Mr. Mike O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the difference in the allowances per service man for catering purposes per day in(a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the Royal Air Force; if he will set out each allowance; and what factors underlie the differences between the amounts.
§ Mr. SoamesThe allowances per day for catering purposes are based on a ration scale costed at current prices and known as the daily messing rate. The ration scale is the same for personnel of all three services.
The scale is costed according to the supply source of food items. Where the source of supply is more expensive due to local conditions the daily messing rate is higher to take account of extra costs. For ships and submarines a slightly different scale is used to take account of their special circumstances.
A general overseas ration scale exists for overseas bases and attachments. This scale has a higher calorific value to take account of conditions such as heat, cold and humidity. The rate applicable to units abroad will also 712W depend on prices in the local economy for food stuffs which are bought locally.
Examples of daily messing rates for October 1994 are:
£ Army, RAF and RN Shore establishments (including Germany and Hong Kong) 1.75 RN ships and submarines 1.86 Falklands 2.03 Cyprus 1.93 Gibraltar 2.07 Where personnel are in special circumstances or performing duties which require extra energy—such as divers or members of mountain rescue teams—they are entitled to supplementary allowances.