HC Deb 20 June 1994 vol 245 cc63-4W
Mr. Jessel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost of maintaining and training(a) a military bandsman at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, Twickenham, (b) a Royal Marine bandsman trained at Deal and (c) a Royal Air Force bandsman trained at Uxbridge, including all extraneous training costs; and what is the annual cost of training an Army bandsman at Kneller Hall.

Mr. Hanley

It is not possible to make meaningful comparisons between the costs of training bandsmen at these establishments for various reasons, such as the differences in course lengths and varying standards of musical ability on arrival. It is possible, however, to give

a broad indication of the approximate annual cost of training bandsmen at the three establishments in question, and this is as follows:

£
Deal 72,000
Kneller Hall 16,000
Uxbridge 1Nil
1The RAF recruits fully trained musicians although there is a small element of expenditure on higher level training.

Mr. Jessel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sum was spent by his Department on the restoration of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, after the decision to reprieve the RMSM and prior to the visit by Her Majesty the Queen to mark the completion of the restoration.

Mr. Hanley

Repairs to the roof and work on the stonework on the external facade of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, was carried out in November 1990 at a cost of approximately £2,000,000.