HC Deb 18 April 1978 vol 948 cc133-4W
Mr. Churchill

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum disturbance allowance allowed to an officer and a soldier, respectively, assuming two children of school age, on taking up a posting (a) within the United Kingdom and (b) overseas; what is the comparable figure in respect of a Ministry of Defence civilian; and whether any allowance is payable for moving a car to the new posting.

Dr. Gilbert

The maximum disturbance allowance for an officer with two children of school age on posting either within the United Kingdom or overseas is £375. The corresponding amount for a soldier with two children is £311. There is no exact civilian equivalent to disturbance allowance, but a civil servant with two children would receive a transfer grant of about £800 on posting to a new duty station.

A motor mileage allowance at the public transport rate is payable to a service man for driving a car to his new unit on posting within the United Kingdom. If his wife also owns a car, motor mileage allowance may be claimed for both cars. Except in the case of a few clearly defined posts, there is no entitlement for a Service man to move a car at public expense to or from an overseas posting, but the cost of doing so is taken into account in the assessment of local overseas allowances. A civil servant posted overseas may ship his car to and from the overseas station at public expense, and also has an entitlement to move his car and his wife's, where she owns one, at the public transport rate on posting within the United Kingdom.