HC Deb 08 December 1988 vol 143 cc314-5W
Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in theOfficial Report the number of allowances and the total amount paid by the Government for day school fees in both the United Kingdom and overseas for the education of the children of (a) members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) members of the Diplomatic Service communications division and (c) the Overseas Development Administration including children of technical co-operation officers, for the latest year for which figures are available.

Mr. Waldegrave

There is no provision to pay day school fees in the United Kingdom.

Total costs of day school education overseas for the financial year 1987–88 was £1,540,000 made up as follows:

  1. (a) FCO £1,114,000.
  2. (b) Diplomatic Service Communications Division £51,000.
  3. (c) ODA £375,000.

A record of the number of children involved is not maintained.

Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in theOfficial Report the schools from which receipted bills were submitted in the last convenient year to facilitate the payment of allowances for the education of the children of diplomatic staff; and if he will state the number of children attending each school.

Mr. Waldegrave

The allowance paid to children of Diplomatic Service officers who attend boarding schools in the United Kingdom is based on an average of the fees of all boarding schools on the headmasters' conference list.

Only limited information is kept on schools used overseas. Each mission maintains its own list of authorised schools which offer education of a kind available without cost under the state system in Britain.

Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in theOfficial Report the number of allowances and the total amount paid by the Government for boarding school fees in both the United Kingdom and overseas for the education of the children of (a) members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) members of the Diplomatic Service communications division and (c) the Overseas Development Administration including children of technical co-operation officers for the latest year for which figures are available.

Mr. Waldegrave

Fees are not paid for children to attend overseas boarding schools.

Expenditure on allowances paid to enable children to attend boarding schools in the United Kingdom in the financial year 1987–88 was as follows:

  1. (a) FCO £7,031,000
  2. (b) Diplomatic Service (DS) communications division £753,000
  3. (c) ODA £1,500,000

The number of children at boarding school will vary during the course of the year. The numbers currently attending are:

  1. (a) FCO 989 children
  2. (b) DS communications division 111 children
  3. (c) ODA 447 children

Diplomatic Service officers retain their right to boarding school allowance while serving in the United Kingdom in recognition of their liability to further overseas postings. In these circumstances the allowance is taxable and is grossed up to take account of the tax liability. The cost figures above take account of this.