§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what discussions he has had with(a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Armed Forces Pay Review Body concerning income tax exemptions for service personnel in the Gulf; [109550]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing UK service personnel in the Gulf with a four-month income tax exemption; and if he will make a statement. [109547]
§ Mr. IngramThere have been no discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer or the Armed Forces Pay Review Body concerning income tax exemptions for service personnel in the Gulf. The longstanding rule—recognised by successive Governments—is that Crown
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Naval Service 22,130 21,660 20,880 21,210 20,690 20,550 19,900 19,690 19.080 18,940 Army 65,120 65,150 63,700 65,410 65,060 64,870 65,740 68,530 66,420 66,840 Royal Air Force 43,730 43,840 43,700 42,390 41,780 41,240 42,700 43,730 42,810 43,540 Information on the number of cadets recruited into each of the services over the last 10 years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications his Department has received from(a) the army cadets, (b) the air cadets and (c) the sea cadets for processing for Criminal Record Bureau checks in the past six months; how many of those applications have been processed; and what
150Wservants, including members of the armed forces, are chargeable to income tax on their Government salaries wherever they are serving.
No estimate has been made by the Ministry of Defence of the cost of providing United Kingdom service personnel in the Gulf with a four-month income tax exemption.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average level of pay is of British service personnel serving in the Gulf. [109551]
§ Mr. IngramThe pay structure of the United Kingdom armed forces, has incremental scales for every rank and two separate pay spines for non-commissioned personnel, dependent on their trade. Many will also be in receipt of allowances and those personnel with specific skills, for additional pay. An average figure would therefore be misleading.
However, rates of pay, additional pay and certain allowances are published annually in the Armed Forces Pay Review Body Report for all ranks up to Brigadier and equivalent, and the Senior Salaries Review Body Report for ranks above Brigadier. Copies of the 2003 Reports can be found in the House of Commons Library.