§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many posts for serving officers there are where there is an entitlement to the services of(a) a driver and (b) a batman.
§ Mr. HanleyInformation on entitlements to drivers is only held centrally for two-star officers and above—currently there are 114 such officers in posts which carry an entitlement to a dedicated staff car and driver. Officers below this level may be entitled to such facilities depending on the nature of their duties. The majority of these are commanders of Army formations and units, whose drivers carry out the same duties for them on deployments.
Information on all posts which carry an entitlement to the services traditionally carried out by a batman—usually a steward who can carry out the duties in addition to his or her other tasks—is not held centrally. There are currently 77 posts where the postholder occupies an official service residence and is thereby entitled to this service from the house staff. Other posts will carry a similar entitlement only where the representational and official entertainment obligations warrant it.