§ Lord Wedgwoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why United Kingdom Service personnel currently serving in Bosnia are not receiving the additional remunerative supplement that their UN counterparts are receiving for undertaking the same task.
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Viscount CranborneAll Service personnel serving in the former Yugoslavia are entitled to the same UN allowances, irrespective of their nationality or rank. These allowances, which are determined by the UN, are US$1.28 a day incidental expenses allowance and US$73.50 to cover the first seven days of rest and recreation leave. The UN does not recognise the concept of "danger money" and there is no question of withholding UN allowances from our Service personnel which are paid to personnel from other nations.
Where variations in pay and allowances exist between Service personnel from the 22 or so different national Armed Forces who are deployed to the region, this is the result of the differences in the national pay and allowance regimes of the countries concerned.
§ Lord Wedgwoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why United Kingdom Service personnel currently serving in Bosnia are not receiving the additional remuneration supplement that their colleagues in Northern Ireland are receiving, if it is accepted that the circumstances are similar, in terms of the element of danger.
Viscount CranborneThere is no direct parallel between deployments to Northern Ireland and the former Yugoslavia. Since 1974 personnel serving in Northern Ireland have received a flat rate of addition to pay in recognition of the exceptionally high level of work during "unsocial hours" in very difficult circumstances—a long-standing feature of service in the Province; it is not "danger money". Like other forms of additional pay the level is recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.
In general, Service personnel receive the same rates of pay wherever they are serving. The X factor, which is regularly reviewed by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, is paid throughout a Service career partly in recognition of the fact that personnel have to serve on occasions in dangerous and difficult circumstances. At present the X factor rate for men and women is 11½ per cent. on top of basic pay. We do not normally therefore consider any form of operational or theatre pay when personnel are deployed on operations such as in the former Yugoslavia.