The Foreign Office has spent more than £13m sending the children of diplomats to top private schools in Britain such as Eton and Winchester College
The government spend for the fees equates to an increase of nearly a third in a single year. And the figures suggest the average cost of subsidising private education for each child has reached its highest point in recent history.
The expenditure has added to concerns about the use of taxpayers’ money during the cost of living crisis.
The revelations came in parliamentary answers provided by the Foreign Office about the budget for the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). Under a longstanding perk for diplomats, senior Foreign Office staff can have their children’s boarding school fees paid for by the taxpayer.
The scheme is designed to give diplomats the freedom to travel abroad at short notice, or take long-term postings in high-risk countries. There is a maximum ceiling, which contains costs. However, spending on the CEA has still risen considerably and many private schools have increased their fees.
About £13.7m was spent subsidising the cost of private school fees in the 2022/23 financial year, according to the Foreign Office minister David Rutley. The previous year, the figure was £10.5m, equating to an annual rise of 31%. In 2020/21, the cost was £12m.
