Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the uplift in Continuity of Education allowance for costs associated with VAT on independent school fees.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Following the budget statement by the Chancellor on 30 October 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed it would carry out an in-year re-rating of the continuity of education allowance (CEA), which is a contribution towards boarding education. The methodology used to calculate the new rates remained the same as previous yearly calculations, a weighted average of the fees charged by the top 75% of schools used by CEA claimants.
The MOD will monitor the impact on retention in service for those claiming CEA following the introduction of VAT on independent school fees. This will inform a review of the CEA calculation methodology ahead of revised rates being produced for the new academic year starting September 2025.
The MOD provides the option for all eligible Service personnel to claim CEA as a contribution to boarding education to minimise the disruption to their children’s education caused by service commitments involving frequent moves of the family home. To be eligible, the Service person’s circumstances must fit within specific regulations, especially around accompanied service and family mobility.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will review the uplift in Continuity of Education Allowance for costs associated with VAT on independent school fees after six months.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Following the budget statement by the Chancellor on 30 October 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed it would carry out an in-year re-rating of the continuity of education allowance (CEA), which is a contribution towards boarding education. The methodology used to calculate the new rates remained the same as previous yearly calculations, a weighted average of the fees charged by the top 75% of schools used by CEA claimants.
The MOD will monitor the impact on retention in service for those claiming CEA following the introduction of VAT on independent school fees. This will inform a review of the CEA calculation methodology ahead of revised rates being produced for the new academic year starting September 2025.
The MOD provides the option for all eligible Service personnel to claim CEA as a contribution to boarding education to minimise the disruption to their children’s education caused by service commitments involving frequent moves of the family home. To be eligible, the Service person’s circumstances must fit within specific regulations, especially around accompanied service and family mobility.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to maintain (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) training base accommodation in Gosport.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Service Family Accommodation (SFA).
In the last year, 25 SFA at Gosport were fully refurbished to enable them to be occupied by Service families. Additionally, 241 SFA have had, or are receiving, improvement works to include new boilers, kitchens and bathrooms and redecoration.
In addition, new External Wall Insulation to 68 SFA is due to complete in financial year 2024-25.
The recent repurchase of the SFA estate from Annington Homes will enable the Ministry of Defence the freedom to embark on a substantive programme of redevelopment and improvement of our housing estate to provide quality homes for Service Families.
Training Base Accommodation (Single Living Accommodation (SLA)/ Transit Accommodation).
Single Living Accommodation (SLA) and Training Base Accommodation is maintained under the Future Defence Infrastructure Service (FDIS) suite of contracts, which provide for statutory and mandatory preventative maintenance and inspections. The findings of the inspections identify issues in advance of failure and by their nature are preventative.
In addition to preventative maintenance, Service Personnel are encouraged to report any faults or complaints via their contract provider.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to extend Continuity of Education Allowance to all service personnel.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Following the budget statement by the Chancellor on 30 October 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed it would carry out an in-year re-rating of the continuity of education allowance (CEA), which is a contribution towards boarding education. The methodology used to calculate the new rates remained the same as previous yearly calculations, a weighted average of the fees charged by the top 75% of schools used by CEA claimants.
The MOD will monitor the impact on retention in service for those claiming CEA following the introduction of VAT on independent school fees. This will inform a review of the CEA calculation methodology ahead of revised rates being produced for the new academic year starting September 2025.
The MOD provides the option for all eligible Service personnel to claim CEA as a contribution to boarding education to minimise the disruption to their children’s education caused by service commitments involving frequent moves of the family home. To be eligible, the Service person’s circumstances must fit within specific regulations, especially around accompanied service and family mobility.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase retention of service personnel.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The new Government’s work in improving retention and recruitment is part of a package of measures aimed to renew the contract between the nation and those who serve. We are modernising and refining our policies and processes to attract, and then retain the best possible talent, highlighting that Defence is a modern, forward-facing employer which offers a valuable and rewarding career. Our aim is to attract and recruit more, as well as maximise the number of applicants that successfully enter and remain in Armed Forces employment.
We have already awarded the largest Armed Forces pay increase in 22 years, and gone further in announcing a £30,000 financial incentive to a cohort of tri-Service Air Engineers as well as an £8,000 retention payment for a cohort of Army personnel. These measures support the retention of key skills and personnel in Defence through appropriate financial recognition.
The Ministry of Defence and Ministers recognise the significant sacrifices that our military families make in serving our nation, and more retention-positive measures have been introduced. As part of this we have protected the integrity of the Continuity of Education Allowance; the Secretary of State for Defence directed that the cap on current rates be lifted to support the means of mitigating the disruption to Service children’s education, caused by Service commitments involving frequent moves of the family home. The recent repurchase of the SFA estate from Annington Homes will enable the Ministry of Defence the freedom to embark on a substantive programme of redevelopment and improvement of our housing estate to provide quality homes for Service families. Furthermore, we have extended Wraparound Childcare to families serving overseas which will potentially save up to £3,400 annually for Service families. We are developing a suite of future initiatives, to be announced in the spring, that will improve Service life and boost retention with the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to financially support the South Atlantic Medal Association.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to provide financial support to the South Atlantic Medal Association 1982 (SAMA’82).
However, veterans who have been awarded the South Atlantic Medal are entitled to concessionary travel to the Falkland Islands via the South Atlantic Airbridge. Applications for this concession can be made through the SAMA’82 website: www.sama82.org.uk/flights/. Within the concessionary priorities which govern the allocation of seats, the MOD has allocated SAMA’82 travellers a higher priority than most categories of Regular serving members of the UK Armed Forces and entitled MOD Civil Servants and their families.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what medical assessments conducted at the time of nuclear weapons tests were disclosed to nuclear test veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings on Question 14583 on 26 November 2024.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to review the cap on Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2024/25, (b) 2025/26, (c) 2026/27, (d) 2027/28 and (e) 2028/29.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Rates for the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) are reviewed and calculated on an annual basis to take into account increases in school fees. Rates become effective in August each year, allowing claimants to submit claims before the start of the new academic year in September.
Following the Budget statement by the Chancellor on 30 October 2024, the MOD confirmed that it would carry out an in-year re-rating of CEA. There are no plans to change the current annual CEA rating cycle in subsequent academic years.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Ministry of Defence Police budget is in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial year; and whether he undertook a risk assessment before determining the budget for the next financial year.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The annual budget for the Ministry of Defence Police is as follows:
Financial year 2024-25 = £182.7 million.
Budgets for 2025-26 for all Government Departments will be set through the ongoing Spending Review.
We take the security of our establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to ensure the integrity of our arrangements. These measures are kept under constant review and adjusted according to the threat. It is, however, long standing policy that we do not comment on the detail of those arrangements.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to recruit new officers to the Ministry of Defence Police.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
There are currently recruitment and retention issues affecting policing nationally. To counteract this, we target our recruitment campaigns in locations facing the most acute recruitment challenges, and we use a variety of outreach methods to promote opportunities to join the Force, including social media; events; briefings; and our recruitment website. Recruitment levels are kept under constant review and are driven by Defence requirements and operational need.