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Written question asked by Liam Fox (Conservative) on Monday, 8 September 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 September 2008. It was answered by Derek Twigg (Labour) on Monday, 6 October 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost of employing an (a) Unit Welfare Officer and (b) padre is.
Answer

[holding answer 15 September 2008]: Information on the annual cost of employing every group or category of Service personnel, e.g. Unit Welfare Officers (UWOs) and chaplains is not centrally held by my Department. The bulk of these costs, however, comprise pay, employers' national insurance contributions and superannuation charges adjusted for past experiences (SCAPE), for which figures are available and are shown in the following table for UWOs and chaplains.

£
Average annual pay Employers' national insurance contribution SCAPE Total
Army Unit Welfare Officer (Late Entry Captain rank) 46,100 3,897 16,734 66,731
Chaplain 53,349 4,830 19,366 77,545

There is no single definition of a UWO which applies across the Services. At most major Army units, the UWO will be at the rank of Late Entry Captain. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force provide welfare assistance through the Chain of Command and other mechanisms. An Army Late Entry Captain therefore provides an example of the pay cost of a UWO.The figure for Service chaplains quoted above reflects an average pay cost based on the tri-Service population who are paid from a tri-Service incremental pay spine.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
223501; 480 c244-5W
Session
2007-08
Subjects
Armed forces Advisory services
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk