Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December to Question 19373 on Armed Forces: Private Education, how much of the (a) £95 million and (b) £104.4 million will be used to fund the uprating of CEA in (i) 2024-25, (ii) 2025-26, (iii) 2026-2027 and (iv) 2028-29.

The estimated cost of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) for Financial Year (FY) 2024-25 is £95 million. This includes a £4 million increase for spring term 2025 as a result of the re-rating exercise done for December 2024, a response to the addition of VAT on independent schools. CEA with the current rates would be estimated to cost £104.4 million for a full year; however, estimating actual spend for FY 2025-26 is not possible as rates will be reviewed before the next academic year starting September 2025.