Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reductions have recently been imposed in the level of cost-of-living allowance paid to teachers employed by the Service Children's Education Authority in the Federal German Republic; how these have been calculated; and what effect these have had on the pay of an average teacher.
§ Mr. SainsburyAlthough reductions in the order of 40 per cent. in the cost of living addition (COLA) for civilian staff serving in the FRG were originally published as a result of the regular monitoring of price levels, exchange rate variations and salary increases, and so on, the recent discovery of some incorrect local prices used in the earlier calculation has now resulted in a re-calculation of the allowance. The average reduction for married staff introduced at 1 October 1988 will now be about £200 per annum or 11 per cent. of the allowance.