HC Deb 20 December 1989 vol 164 cc248-9W
Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any additional payments are to be made to service personnel engaged on ambulance duty over the Christmas and new year period.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

It has been decided that additional welfare benefits will be made available for those service personnel deployed on ambulance duties who are on duty or confined to barracks on Christmas day, Boxing day or new year's day. Welfare funds will be specially supplemented by f15 per head to allow units to provide extra Christmas and new year fare and entertainment. These are not cash payments to individuals, as emergency duties are something that have to be accepted in service life, but an enhancement of welfare funds to enable some additional comfort to be provided. In addition, each person will be allowed two extra free private telephone calls, and where service personnel are required to split their leave and make two journeys home, the cost of the second will be met.