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The Department for International Development (DFID) reimburses employees on overseas postings for private schooling overseas or boarding school fees in the UK for their children, within financial ceilings.The terms and conditions of employment in DFID are set in order to recruit, motivate and retain staff who are skilled and equipped to meet DFID's objectives. Those with children have a legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the age of five, and they pay UK tax wherever they work. Most parents prefer to take their children with them, but in some countries they are not permitted to do so, either for health or security reasons. Continuity of education is also an important factor, particularly at secondary level.Our central records relate to education allowance paid to Home Civil Service staff serving overseas to assist with school fees in the UK or in an overseas location and are not held in a format that allows for the disaggregation between boarding school and private day school payments. We do not hold a central record of school fees which are paid locally by overseas offices in respect of children in education in these countries.The amount spent on education allowance by DFID was:<Table width="100%" summary="" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" border="0"><TR><TD>Financial year</TD><TD>Total (£)</TD></TR><TR><TD>2010-11</TD><TD>1,061,307</TD></TR><TR><TD>2011-12 (April to January)</TD><TD>931,591</TD></TR></Table>Our records show no children of DFID staff attended Eton College during the periods 2010-11 and 2011-12.The amount that DFID will pay on education allowance in 2012-13 will be dependant on the number, of school age children, of staff working overseas. We would estimate the amount will be similar to the previous two years provided in the table. |