Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was spent by his Department on private school fees for children of staff who are based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in 2016-17.

​Members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world throughout their career, sometimes at very short notice. It is long-standing practice that the FCO provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff for their children's education in the UK.