Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officers of the rank of Lieutenant-General and above there are in the Army; and what was the cost of the aggregate of salaries, official residences, official cars and other emoluments in the most recent financial year for which figures are available for all such officers. [HL220]
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officers of the rank of Vice-Admiral and above there are in the Royal Navy; and what was the cost of the aggregate of salaries, official residences, official cars and other emoluments in the most recent financial year for which figures are available for all such officers. [HL221]
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officers of the rank of Air Marshal and above there are in the Royal Air Force; and what was the cost of the aggregate of salaries, official residences, official cars and other emoluments in the most recent financial year for which figures are available for all such officers. [HL222]
The number of officers of rank Vice Admiral, Lieutenant General, and Air Marshal and above and the cost of their aggregate salaries is contained in the following table:
No of Officers Total Salary Total for All 3 Services 47 £6,762,207 Royal Navy 11 £1,526,717 Army 23 £3,322,416 Royal Air Force 13 £1,913,074
Occupants of official service residences hold posts that require them to entertain and accommodate guests including British Royalty, Ministers, politicians, senior representatives of the private sector and officially hosted overseas representatives, to support Ministry of Defence objectives. It is the post and not the residence or the individual which carries the official service residences designation.
In 2007-08, this specific group occupied 19 official service residences and the aggregate cost to the department was £2,656,398.07. This is broken down by:
Rent £375,174.00 Utilities £68,182.20 Planned Maintenance £63,963.81 Unplanned Maintenance £100,864.09 Improvements £40,098.87 Furniture and Equipment £11,786.00 Fees to consultants and designers, works service managers and for special reports and services £4,481.89 Household Staff £1,991,139.90 Total £2,656,398.07
Official cars are an extension of the office and provide a more private space for senior officers to work in and so make best use of time spent travelling. Costs for these vehicles are held centrally. However, to determine which of those official cars are allocated to this specific group and then obtain the costs associated would require a manual search of records thus incurring a disproportionate cost.
For the year 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, entertainment expenditure relating to this specific group amounted to £77,366.12. A breakdown of the constituent elements of official entertainment is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.