Armed Forces Personnel: School Fees

Lord Watts Excerpts

Wednesday 5th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

The noble Lord will know that diplomats who are based here—I am in the process of writing to him about this, as I said I would in answer to his previous question—in many circumstances have their children’s fees paid. They are exempt from them, as indeed are our Armed Forces personnel and our diplomats when they go overseas. There is a multiplicity of tax and benefits arrangements which benefit our diplomats and our Armed Forces personnel when they go abroad, and similarly when their counterparts come here. Those multiple arrangements between different Governments have existed for decades. That is exactly the same now as it has been in the past.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, the Opposition seem to be very worried about the impact of this on recruitment. What would have been the impact had we followed the advice of the Opposition and frozen public sector pay?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

I think my noble friend has answered his own question. I thank him for that. The important point to make is that, when we came into government, we were determined to ensure that the recommendations of various public sector pay bodies were met in full. The pay recommendations of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body were met in full and that was an important statement made by the Government about the importance not only of public service workers in general but of the Armed Forces personnel who serve our country.