HC Deb 08 February 1995 vol 254 cc323-4W
Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which armed service officers are entitled to school and related fees for their children to be met: from the armed forces vote; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames

Boarding school allowance is designed to assist with the payment of school fees, and is available to all ranks of the armed forces who are serving either in the United Kingdom or overseas, providing that they meet the eligibility criteria. Service career and manpower structures and terms and conditions of service, including boarding school allowance, are however the subject of an independent review which the then Minister for the Armed Forces my right hon. Friend the Minister for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley), announced on 30 March 1994, Official Report, columns 752–53.

Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what purpose school and related fees are paid from the armed forces vote in respect of the education of children of officers in the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames

Boarding school allowance is provided to assist eligible service parents of all ranks in providing a stable education for their children in the face of the domestic turbulence frequently encountered in service life.

Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost over the past 10 years of school and related fees for the children of officers in the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames

The total cost of school and related fees is not held by my Department. Boarding school allowance is paid up to a maximum annual limit, and service parents are expected to make a contribution of 10 per cent. to the fees. Additionally, for schools whose fees are higher than this maximum rate of BSA, parents are expected to make up any shortfall themselves. The total amounts of BSA paid for all ranks for the years in question is as follows:

£ million
1985–86 85.00
1986–87 93.60
1987–88 106.58
1988–89 107.10
1989–90 104.51
1990–91 105.61
1991–92 115.35
1992–93 116.72
1993–94 113.61

The total estimated expenditure for financial year 1994–1995 is £104 million.