Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to review financial assistance available for armed forces personnel for the costs associated with relocating pets to an assigned duty station abroad.

The Department is currently trialling a new ‘Global Mobility Allowance’ for Service personnel who are posted overseas. This allowance provides a fixed sum of money at the start and end of an overseas posting. This provides our Service personnel with greater choice and flexibility, allowing them to prioritise expenditure according to their specific needs, which could include transporting a pet overseas.

Allowances for Service personnel and their accompanying families are subject to periodic review. In addition, each Service may propose that a particular allowance be reviewed, or a new allowance introduced, in response to feedback from Service personnel, Continuous Attitude Surveys, Family Federations and other Service-related organisations. The cost associated with relocating pets abroad has not yet been raised via any of those forums and therefore there is no immediate plan to review the topic.