§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average daily cost to his Department for each private soldier of (a) food, (b) clothing, (c) accommodation—excluding capital charges—and (d) heating; and to what extent these figures differ during basic training.
§ Mr. BlakerThe following figures represent average costs for a regular soldier, covering all ranks:
42W
Estimated annual cost £ Rations 367 Personal equipment and clothing 127 Accommodation stores, barrack services and utilities (including heating) 794 These are the only relevant figures available.
Because of the method of computation the cost of heating cannot be separately identified. Nor is it possible to calculate daily figures which would have any meaning since there are a number of factors such as annual leave, detached duty and absence on training courses which preclude this degree of precision.