Disturbance Allowance (Hansard, 15 December 1989)

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton

The current rates of disturbance allowance payable to members of the armed forces on moving home are as follows:

	Officers (£)	Soldiers (£)
1. Married Personnel
Higher rate¹	1,200	900
Lower rate²	689	517
Special rate³	310	232
Child element⁴	95	95
2. Single Personnel
Higher rate¹	900	675
Lower rate²	517	388
Private rented accommodation rate⁵	297	223
¹ The higher rate is payable to homeowners, who move to a new home on posting to a new duty station. Single homeowners must be aged over 30 years, except for the Navy, where the limit is aged over 25 years. There are no age restrictions for married personnel.
² The lower rate is payable:
(1) To married personnel—when, as a result of a posting, the family is moved to: a residence at a new duty station which is a public married quarter; their own home, which they are reoccupying; their first ever purchase of a private home; or private rented accommodation, where they previously occupied either a public married quarter or private rented accommodation at the old duty station.

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(2) To single personnel—when they re-occupy their own home; on first ever occupation of their own home; or, where public accommodation is not available and they are required to move into private rented accommodation and no other accommodation allowance is paid.

³ The special rate is payable for second or subsequent moves from accommodation, which has been occupied by the family, while remaining at the same duty station, for example, to enable major repairs or renovation of a married quarter to take place.

⁴ The child element is payable in adition to disturbance allowance in respect of each child changing school as a result of a house move.

⁵ The private rented rate is payable, where an individual chooses to occupy private rented accommodation for personal reasons.

Note:

Rates of disturbance allowance are currently under review with new rates due to come into effect on 1 January 1990.