Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to exempt the children of military families from the proposal to apply VAT to private school fees.

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the education system.

Recognising the enormous sacrifices our military families make, the Ministry of Defence provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to eligible Service Personnel. The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military families and the upcoming Spending Review is the right time to consider any changes to this scheme.

The Government has published a technical Note and draft VAT legislation outlining the changes; a technical consultation will be open until 15 September.