UK diplomats no longer get hardship bonus for being posted to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires hosts the official workplace of the Argentinian president, shown here in front of Plaza de Mayo square British diplomats in six locations around the world, including Buenos Aires and Santiago in South America, will no longer get hardship payments for working in dangerous cities. Bonuses and respite breaks are granted to those working in cities considered risky, like Beirut in Lebanon, or with high crime, such as Pretoria in South Africa, or high air pollution in cities including New Delhi and Beijing. The UK government has removed Santiago, in Chile, Panama City in Panama, Pyongyang in North Korea, Bamako in Mali, and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition to the two south American cities, according to the latest list published last week, external. The 144 locations still on the list include many trouble spots but also popular holiday destinations such as Bali and Rio De Janeiro, prompting criticism from the Conservatives. Tory chairman­ Kevin Hollin­rake said civil servants receiving extra pay for working in such areas is unfair on the taxpayer. The Foreign Office has given civil servants extra payments for working in areas where there is a high level of danger, or high risks to health, for the past 30 years. They are meant to compensate staff and families for the additional costs and challenges of living overseas in difficult locations and are reviewed regularly. Factors and risks covered , climate, natural disaster, isolation and other impacts on quality of life. Amounts are not routinely published but in 2009, the last time a breakdown was released, the highest payments for civil servants and their spouses were for postings to Karachi, Pakistan, which was worth an extra £26,647, or £14,804 in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The hardship payment for being posted as part of a couple to Buenos Aires was £1,517 and Santiago was £777, according to the 2009 Diplomatic Services Allowances, external. Answering a parliamentary question from Tory peer Lord Moylan, external, Foreign Office minister Lord Wood of Anfield said assessments of hardship take into account factors that mean members of staff are required to take additional breaks for the benefit of their physical or mental health. He added: "These arrangements are not new, and indeed have applied consistently under successive governments for a number of decades." Bangkok, Cape Town, and Kuala Lumpur are still among the cities that qualify for hardship payments, alongside Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.