Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse of reviewing the level of net pay deductions from the salaries of Ministry of Defence fire fighters and fire officers was in each year since 2008-09.

The cost to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for work commissioned from the Government Actuary Department (GAD) to review the abatement and Net Pay Deduction level for MOD Fire-fighters and Fire Officers since 2009 is £139,000 plus VAT. This figure represents costs for wider advice provided by GAD on Pension issues for Defence Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) personnel and is not specifically related to abatement reviews. It has not been possible to itemise the costs in the time available, and neither has it been possible in the time available to confirm costs in 2008.