asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost in 1974 to the public purse of the education of children of Service personnel in the private sector of education in the United Kingdom.

The estimated cost of education allowance paid to officers and Service men of all three Services during the current year, in respect of children attending boarding school, is £16·73 million. The purpose of education allowance is to help Service personnel, who are liable to frequent changes of station, to maintain continuity of education for their children either by sending them to a boarding school or by placing them in the care of a relative or guardian to attend a day school.