Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in respect of the families of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office staff in each of the last 10 years; and how many children have benefitted from that programme.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The details of the number of children, and how much the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have spent in each of the last 10 financial years on the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) policy are in the table below:
| Academic Year | Total Spend | Total Number of Children |
| 2012/13 | £12,640,489.05 | 684 |
| 2013/14 | £14,651,331.96 | 637 |
| 2014/15 | £14,322,691.28 | 628 |
| 2015/16 | £13,440,797.70 | 616 |
| 2016/17 | £13,870,134.56 | 604 |
| 2017/18 | £13,531,420.70 | 518 |
| 2018/19 | £14,060,063.38 | 511 |
| 2019/20 | £14,916,298.06 | 525 |
| 2020/21 | £14,951,945.41 | 514 |
| 2021/22 | £14,410,903.45 | 531 |
*Figures may differ from previously published figures due to process changes/financial systems over the last 10 years
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that Government ministers are able to meet and hold discussions with ministers from Commonwealth countries, especially those from small island states, when they visit London.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Ministers meet regularly with Ministers from Commonwealth countries, both in London and on their visits overseas. The majority of the Commonwealth's 52 members are represented by High Commissioners in London. Meetings with visiting Ministers are typically organised by High Commissioners and their staff or by High Commissioners at UK missions overseas. Where a VIP is invited to the UK by Her Majesty's Government, the visit programme is arranged through Protocol Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We place significant importance on Ministerial meetings which provide the opportunity for discussions on a range of Commonwealth and other issues. Recently, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) had a warm and productive meeting with the Grenadian Prime Minister and St Lucian Prime Minister. Similar visits and discussions, both inwards and outwards, will become increasingly important as we look ahead to hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018.