Boarding School Allowance (Hansard, 7 March 1995)

§ Mr. Redmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the cost of private education for children of service men funded by his Ministry for each year since 1979.

§ Mr. Soames
The total cost of boarding school allowance paid by my Department in each year since 1979 is as follows:

Date Amount £

1979–80 31,010,000

1980–81 47,240,000

1981–82 59,960,000

1982–83 66,380,000

1983–84 72,650,000

1984–85 77,870,000

1985–86 85,000,000

1986–87 93,600,000

1987–88 106,580,000

1988–89 107,100,000

1989–90 104,510,000

1990–91 105,610,000

1991–92 115,350,000

1992–93 116,720,000

1993–94 113,610,000

§ Mr. Redmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost limit for each pupil cost per annum in respect of private education of children of servicemen funded by his Ministry.

§ Mr. Soames
Boarding school allowance is paid up to a maximum annual limit, and service parents in receipt are expected to make a contribution of 10 per cent. to the fees. The maximum annual limits admissible for 1994–1995 are as follows:

Rate Per annum £

Junior 5,358

Senior 6,579

SENA¹ 8,772

¹ Special Educational Needs Allowance

126W
Where fees are higher than these maximum rates of boarding school allowance, parents are expected to make up any shortfall themselves.

§ Mr. Redmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) the schools and (b) the number of pupils at each for whom his Department has paid fees for each year since 1990, and if he will give the total number of pupils thus funded in each year since 1990.

§ Mr. Soames
A copy of the most recently complied list of schools which are admissible for parents of service children to claim boarding school allowance was placed in the Library of the House on 16 January 1995. This list includes information on the number of service children attending each school in June 1994. This information is not collected annually, and is therefore not held in this format for each year since 1990. The only additional data available pertains to 1992 and the accuracy of this information can no longer be validated. The total number of pupils for whom boarding school allowance was claimed in each year since 1990 is as follows:
1990–1991: 17,910

1991–1992: 16,208

1992–1993: 15,120

1993–1994; 12,567

Date	Amount £
1979–80	31,010,000
1980–81	47,240,000
1981–82	59,960,000
1982–83	66,380,000
1983–84	72,650,000
1984–85	77,870,000
1985–86	85,000,000
1986–87	93,600,000
1987–88	106,580,000
1988–89	107,100,000
1989–90	104,510,000
1990–91	105,610,000
1991–92	115,350,000
1992–93	116,720,000
1993–94	113,610,000

Rate	Per annum £
Junior	5,358
Senior	6,579
SENA¹	8,772
¹ Special Educational Needs Allowance