§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many children currently benefit from boarding school allowance; and what the cost of the scheme is in 2003–04. [147138]
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§ Mr. CaplinThe cost of the scheme in each of the school terms in 2003 is as follows:
Term Number of children
Cost(£) Spring 2003 (January-March) 4,332 13,660,611.01 Summer 2003 (April-July) 4,406 13,655,127.27 Autumn 2003 (September-December) 4,277 14,744,626.76 Total cost 42,060,365.04
§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the funding per pupil by Service Children's Education was in each of the last five years. [147140]
§ Mr. CaplinThe Agency's Annual Report and Accounts for the past five years contain details of the Annual Operating Costs of Service Children's Education (SCE) together with the pupil numbers served. Copies of these are available in the Library of the House.
It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested. The Quinquennial Review Team recognised that simple cost comparisons between Service Children's Education (SCE) and local education authorities in the United Kingdom cannot be made due to a number of factors. These include the differences in funding mechanisms between the two parent Departments. the accounting requirements placed on SCE as a Defence Agency, and most notably the additional costs incurred by the Agency brought about by operating in an overseas environment.
In addition to the Annual Reports, a series of cost calculations showing a number of different tabulations for pupil costs are contained at Annex E to the Quinquennial Report published in May 2003, a copy is which is available in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the academic and education targets set for Service Children's Education schools in each of the last five years, and what assessment he has made of the extent to which these targets have been met or exceeded. [147141]
§ Mr. CaplinIn common with other Defence Agencies, Service Children's Education publishes its Annual Report and Accounts each year. The Agency's Key Targets and performance against them are contained within these documents, copies of which are held in the Library of the House. The Annual Report covering 2002–03 is scheduled for publication in January 2004.