§ Lord Swinfenasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost to the taxpayer of each British officer who attended the combat arms fighting systems course at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham in 1992; how many of those officers have been made redundant under Options for Change, and what will be the total compensation, redundancy payments and anticipated unemployment benefit payable.
Viscount CranborneIn 1992, it cost £35,728 for an officer to attend the combat arms fighting course at Shrivenham. Five of the officers who attended the 1992 course have been selected for redundancy under Options for Change. The cost of their special capital payments is estimated at £144,546. One officer will receive an immediate pension of just over £6,500 a year and a terminal grant of just over £19,500. The other officers will qualify for preserved pensions and terminal grants when they reach 60. It is not possible to anticipate whether any officer will be unemployed once they leave the service. However over 70 per cent. of those who left on redundancy in 1992/93 have found jobs or have moved overseas.