Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on private school fees for the families of armed forces personnel in each year since 2010; and how much his Department has spent on each such educational establishment in that time.

The information requested in relation to school fees is provided in the table below. Information relating to individual schools could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Continuity of Education (CEA) allowance is provided to assist Service personnel to achieve continuity of education for their children that would otherwise be denied if their children accompanied them on frequent and consecutive assignments. These payments are made by the Ministry of Defence to individual Service personnel claimants, and not to the educational establishments/schools attended by the children to whom the claims relate.

The coalition Government reviewed this scheme as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review and in December 2010 made changes which have delivered savings of £20 million each year and an associated reduction in claimants compared to the cost of the scheme as inherited in 2010.

Spend by financial year on CEA including special educational needs supplement and payment of income tax liability.