§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department have(a) children in fee-paying schools for whom Her Majesty's Government meet the bill because the officials are posted abroad and (b) children in fee-paying schools for whom Her Majesty's Government meet the bill after the officials have returned because their children remain in the school; and if he will detail the cost for the last three years for each of these two categories.
§ Mr. BaldryIn 1994–95(a) 278 officers serving overseas and (b) 184 officers serving in the United Kingdom, have children at fee-paying schools in the United Kingdom. Costs in these categories are as follows:
£million 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 a) 3.97 3.95 4.13 b) 3.76 3.93 4.04 The FCO does not meet the whole bill for each child. It makes a contribution towards basic fees but up to a ceiling based on the average fees of schools in the headmasters' conference.