To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the maximum level of Continuity of Education Allowance payments provided by his Department were for (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils in the UK in 2021-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department allocated to the Continuity of Education Allowance to fund school places in the UK in 2021-22; and how many children were covered by that funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department allocated to the Continuity of Education Allowance to fund places at (a) Winchester College, (b) Eton College, (c) Rugby School, (d) Stowe School, (e) Ampleforth College, (f) Millfield School, (g) Charterhouse School, (h) Gordonstoun School, (i) The King’s School, Canterbury, and (j) Harrow School in 2021-22.

Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) assists Service personnel to achieve continuity of education for their children that would otherwise be denied in the state-maintained day school sector due to the mobility of their family because of consecutive assignments. CEA is available to all Service personnel, irrespective of rank, subject to them satisfying the qualifying criteria. Service personnel may select from a wide variety of schools across the UK from within the independent and state-maintained sectors that meet set criteria. Each claimant is required to contribute at least 10 per cent of the fees at independent schools.

Financial Year (FY) 2021-22 straddled two Academic Years (2020-21 and 2021-22) so the maximum level of CEA provided for a) primary and (b) secondary pupils in the UK was:

o Academic Year 2020-21: Primary £5,969 and Secondary £7,828; o Academic Year 2021-22: Primary £6,096 and Secondary £7,847;

During FY 2021-22, the cost to defence of CEA was £81.3 million, for which 4,700 children benefited.

During FY 2021-22, the cost to Defence of CEA in respect of the stipulated schools was as follows: