32 NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2011 News and information for serving personnel


Pay Colonel briefs on allowances changes


CHANGES to Service Personnel Allowances – a message from the Royal Navy Pay Colonel, Capt John Lavery:


readers will be aware of the recent announcements heralding adjustments to some elements of the pay and allowances of Service personnel. The article below provides general details to add to the information already provided to our sailors and marines.


I am conscious that many


miles, aligning it with the level of contribution already made by claimants of HDT (Private). The measure will be implemented in three stages over two years, and will increase from one mile to three miles from April 1 2011, from three to six miles from April 1 2012 and six to nine miles from April 1 2013. This will mean that those Naval


formal but it is offered in such a way as to minimise any misunderstanding of the changes that all of us in uniform are about to experience.


allowance package as a result of the requirement to achieve a significant reduction in the annual spend on allowances were recently announced in DIB 04/11, with the specific changes to Continuity of Education Allowances (CEA) announced in December in DIB 95/10.


The language is somewhat


personnel who live in publicly funded accommodation (eg SLA, SSSA, SFA or SSFA) less than these distances from their Duty Station will be ineligible for financial support for their commute to and from work.


Changes to the Service


■ Disturbance Allowance (DA): The rates for Privately Owned and Privately Rented Accommodation will be aligned to the SFA rate. All DA rates will be reduced by 10 per cent, to £966 for SFA and £83 for SLA. The Child Element of DA will also reduce by 51 per cent to £75.


Security Review (SDSR) White Paper presented the Armed Forces with a challenging requirement to achieve £250 million savings from the current expenditure on Service allowances by April 2014. In order to achieve this target, substantial changes to a number of allowances and other targeted pay measures are to be made this year and the year after. The impact that these changes will have on many Service personnel and their families has been acknowledged by the Principal Personnel Officers, Service Chiefs and by the Secretary of State for Defence, however they have been recognised, and reluctantly accepted, as part of the wider savings that Defence has to make at this time. Key changes to allowances as a result of the savings measures are summarised below, however personnel are encouraged to refer to the DIBs and, if at all unsure, or concerned about how the changes might affect them or their family, to seek further advice from Unit HR Administration staff, or the chain of command. It is acknowledged that


allowances policy is frequently complex, and therefore the detail of some of the measures below may be difficult to understand when viewed in isolation. However,


simplification of allowances remains an enduring theme within policy development, it is important to appreciate that many of the complex regulations have been put in place to ensure that reducing resources remain appropriately targeted.


Changes to allowances that will take place from May 1 2011 are as follows:


■ Home to Duty Travel (Public) (HDT (Public)): The personal contribution to HDT(Public) will be increased from one to nine


while further The Strategic Defence and


■ Incidental Expenses (IE): IE in the UK and overseas will be removed, except for those Service personnel hospitalised as in-patients.


■ Day Subsistence (DS): The upper limit for UK DS will be reduced from a capped maximum of £26.28 to £25 per day. Rates of overseas DS will be reduced by 4.9 per cent, which is proportionate to the reduction in UK DS.


■ Local Overseas Allowance (LOA): The changes to LOA which will take effect from May 1 2011 include the application of revised UK spend data to update the LOA rate tables; the removal of one set of three ‘Bett Nights’ worldwide from the LOA construct; the introduction of a revised Factor Plan, which will be based on three levels (or salary bands) of LOA for Main Stations, rather than the current 13 level LOA Factor Plan which is based on rank; a reduction in the rates of LOA paid to those personnel temporarily serving overseas on Exercise/Field Conditions from 50 per cent to 40 per cent and Temporary Duty or Seagoing LOA rates from 75 per cent to 60 per cent, and the removal of payment of this allowance in respect of dependant children over 18 or those who have completed the A-level stage of education. A number of further changes will be made to the LOA rules, known as


‘Conventions’, globally on


April 1 2012. Although the overall effect of these global changes to Conventions is that LOA rates in most LOA Main Station areas are likely to fall, the Conventions work is merely an update of current lifestyles abroad. Additionally, a number of specific changes will be made to the application of the Conventions for LOA areas in North West Europe.


■ Living Out Supplemented Rates of LOA (LOSLOA): The rate calculation method will be changed, although recipients of this allowance will continue to


THE Marine Engineers of HMS Montrose have notched up a top score, as they topped the tables in NVQ awards over the past academic year. NVQs – or to give them their full name National Vocational Qualifications – are work-based awards achieved through assessment and training which require aspiring candidates to prove they have the ability to carry out their job to the required standard.


Royal Naval School of Marine Engineering, the Engineering


In conjunction with the


receive the appropriate rate of single/unaccompanied LOA. Eligibility criteria will also be adjusted to ensure that maximum use of Service messing, if available at an individual’s Duty Station, is made by those accommodated within a reasonable travelling distance.


■ Continuity of Education Allowances (CEA): Changes to the eligibility rules and the governance of claims for the allowance will be introduced with effect from April 1 2011.


the current rules withdraws the eligibility for CEA from personnel who serve unaccompanied by their families in some locations, principally MOD London, certain positions in JFHQ and in designated seagoing billets in ships and submarines. Transitional arrangements


have been put in place to ensure individuals who are currently drawing CEA under these ‘involuntarily separated’ rules will not be unfairly disadvantaged by the removal of this concession. Further changes include an


The most significant change to


■ Privately Arranged Passage (PAP): The criteria for reimbursement of expenses will be adjusted so that all PAP refunds are based on pre-booked non-flexible economy class air fares only and any associated accommodation and subsistence costs will become a personal liability.


■ Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA(L)): From April 1 2012, provided that retention of this allowance is recommended by the AFPRB, Service personnel above the ranks of Leading Rate/ Corporal will no longer be eligible for RRA(L).


IN ADDITION to the allowance savings measures,


Leave Rate (for leave travel) which is currently paid at 31p per mile, will be aligned with the MMA Private Car Rate (for duty travel) at the lower HMRC approved mileage rate, currently 25p per mile.


automatic review of entitlement after two assignments rather than three when the claimant’s family home has not relocated, the removal of the ‘Sibling Rule’ and the aggregation of claims from the CEA regulations, and the establishment of a team to ensure compliance with the regulations. In addition to the measures


described above, the Secretary of State has directed that a review of CEA should be conducted given the current financial climate and the need to be clear that expenditure on this allowance is fully justified.


This will result in a reduction in MMA paid to recipients of Get You Home (Seagoers) and GYH (Early Years) of approximately 20 per cent. The MMA Official Duty Rate (ODR) will be removed from the regulations as it is rarely able to be used under Service regulations.


■ Get You Home (GYH): All GYH allowances are generated by MMA CLR and will reduce accordingly to 25p per mile (from 26p for GYH (Travel) and 31p for other GYH rates).


This will result in a reduction


in rates of GYH (Travel) by approximately 4 per cent and GYH (Seagoers) and GYH (Early Years) by approximately 20 per cent.


The review team are now entering a wide-ranging consultation phase and some Naval personnel may have already received a short e-survey for completion. This provides an opportunity for the RN to directly inform the review process. The results of this review will be announced in the spring.


■ School Children’s Visits (SCV): The parental contribution to SCV will be increased from 50 miles to 100 miles per single journey and the allowance will be withdrawn for children who have completed the A-level stage of education, but are studying for a first degree.


■ Motor Mileage Allowance (MMA): The MMA Converted


■ Get You Home (Early Years) (GYH (EY)) and (Early Years) (Overseas Assistance) (GYH (EY)(OA)): Entitlement to these allowances will be removed at the end of Phase 1 Training or at the age of 18, whichever is the later.


■ Get You Home (Seagoers): Entitlement to this allowance will be reduced from 12 to ten journeys per leave year.


■ Food and Incidentals Allowance (FIA): FIA will be reduced from £12.41 to £8.50 per day following adjustment to the rate calculation methodology for this allowance. As with LOSLOA, the eligibility


criteria will also be adjusted to ensure that maximum use of Service messing, if available at an individual’s Duty Station, is made by those who are accommodated within a reasonable travelling distance.


■ Special Messing Allowance (SMA): The rate calculation methodology for this subsistence allowance will be changed to 75 per cent of the relevant DS rate for the overseas country. SMA is unlike DS, which sets a maximum but only allows for actual expenditure. In reality, like all of us, on some days individuals buy a cheap snack and on others they eat a more expensive meal.


Technicians (Marine Engineering) have been bagging NVQs through the academic year. Even while enjoying the success


of catching pirates on anti-piracy patrol off East Africa, the ship’s ETMEs notched up two level 2 and two level 3 NVQs to add to the nine level 2 and two level 3s awarded over the previous 12 months. Also, and rather handily, each NVQ earns HMS Montrose £250 for her Welfare Fund as part of the Fleet Award Scheme. CMEM(M) ‘Scotch’ Bright said: “This is a great achievement


changes will


also be made to a number of other targeted pay measures, as follows:


■ Specialist Pay (Reserve Banding) (RB): From April 1 2012, Specialist Pay (RB) will be reduced from the current six-year system to a three-year system. Specialist Pay (RB) will be paid


at 100 per cent for the first two years, followed by 50 per cent for year three and zero per cent from year four onwards. Additionally, from April 1 2012, the Premature Voluntary Release (PVR) rate of Specialist Pay will be reduced from 50 per cent to zero per cent. Separately, all current forms of Specialist Pay will be reviewed by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) during 2011.


■ Commitment Bonuses: There will be no change to existing CB arrangements for personnel who commenced Phase 1 training before January 20 2011. A new CB scheme will be introduced for new entrants who start Phase 1 training on or after this date.


The CB scheme for new entrants will be set a maximum value of £7,500 (gross) for eligible personnel. A separate DIN outlining this change will be published shortly.


■ Financial Incentive Schemes (FIS): Recognising that Force Structures will be changing as a result of SDSR announcements, FIS (eg Golden Hellos, Financial Retention Incentives and Rejoining and Transfer Bounties) will be reviewed to ensure that there remains a requirement for their payment. Information on changes to any existing schemes will be provided as soon as reviews have been completed.


THE CHANGES to allowances and other targeted savings measures are recognised by all as painful, but the current fi nancial position has placed pressure on the level of allowances that are affordable.


It is important to remember


however, that although measures needed to be taken to better target allowances to where the need is greatest, please be reassured that an appropriate allowance package will continue to be at the top of the Second Sea Lord’s agenda in the future.


Montrose is tops for stokers


for the lads who are gaining recognisable qualifications for all their hard work.” CO Cdr Jonathan Lett added: “I am incredibly proud of the sheer number of NVQs achieved by the Marine Engineering Department. They may not have come face to face with many Somali pirates, but their professionalism has allowed me to keep the ship at sea for 85 per cent of the time in theatre. “The fact that they have


achieved so much training during what has been a very busy year is amazing.”


● (left to right: front) ET(ME)s James Thorpe, Matthew Keylock, Thomas Baxter, Kieran Breen, David Gibson, (back) Omar Jack, Luke Taylor, Ben Rees, Daniel Butt, (back centre) CMEM(M) ‘Scotch’ Bright


to look where


DEFENCE INTERNAL BRIEFS 02/11: Registering for Service Pupil Premium: On Monday December 13 2010 the Department for Education announced the details of the school funding settlement for 2011-12. This included details of the local authority Dedicated Schools Grant allocations and the level of the Pupil Premium. 03/11: Joint message from Chief of the Defence Staff and Permanent Under Secretary: Meeting the challenges of 2011. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Sir David Richards and Permanent Under Secretary (PUS) Ursula Brennan, issued a joint message to all defence staff refl ecting on progress made in 2010 and setting the priorities for the year ahead.


04/11: SDSR Implementation: Changes to Service Personnel Allowances: The Strategic Defence and Security Review set out a requirement to reduce expenditure on Service and Civil Service allowances amounting to some £300 million per year. Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, Andrew Robathan, announced the package of measures to be implemented for the Armed Forces.


GALAXY MESSAGES Galaxy 01-2011: 1SL Strategic Priorities for the Naval Service 2011.


Direction and Guidance: CinCFleet issues his Direction and Guidance for 2011 Galaxy 03-2011: Second Sea


Galaxy 02-2011: CinCFleet’s


Lord’s priorities for the 2011 Spring term.


DIN2011 DIN01-019: JPA Appraisal:


DEFENCE INSTRUCTIONS AND NOTICES


Appraisal Reports (NSARs) DIN2011 DIN01-016: Naval Service Redundancy Programme – Excluded Cadres DIN2011 DIN01-014: Pre- Deployment Fertility Preservation DIN2011 DIN01-012: Tri Service Fiji Support Network (FSN) brief for UK based Service personnel 7-11 February 7-11 2011 DIN2011 DIN07-022: Joint and Single Service Security, Language, Intelligence, Photographic and Geo-Spatial Training courses for TY 2011/12


DIN2011 DIN10-001: Royal Navy Show Jumping and Eventing Team – dates for team selection 2011


Issue 01/11 RNTM 001/11: The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity – Naval Service Amenity Fund approved grants


ROYAL NAVY TEMPORARY MEMORANDA


Issue 01/11 RNTM 002/11: The Royal Navy and Royal Marine Charity – Naval Service Amenity Fund


Issue 01/11 RNTM 003/11: Personnel wishing to leave the Naval Service early – Additional guidance for 2011


Introduction of the Competitive Gliding Course (RN) June 12-17 2011


Issue 01/11 RNTM 007/11:


Issue 01/11 RNTM 009/11: Additional funding to State schools educating Service children – The Service Pupil Premium


Issue 01/11 RNTM 012/11: Management of leave in the Naval Service


Issue 01/11 RNTM 013/11: Additional Public Holiday for the Royal Wedding on April 29 2011 Issue 01/11 RNTM 014/11: HMS Chatham decommissioning and disposal


Issue 01/11 RNTM 015/11: Divisional training in the Royal Navy


Wikileaks wary


A REMINDER to people that due to the potential threat of malware staff are not to access or download on to offi cial systems material originally leaked from Wikileaks. This includes direct downloads


and bringing the material in via email, discs or pensticks. If you have a genuine business


need, arrangements can be put in place to access the material.


Non-Standard


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