Thanks Ottergirl and PC767,
Of course - meal allowances theoretically are for downroute living expenses - but try living on 11K in London which is the starting basic! Also we get allowances for doing there and backs. Why is that if they are for downroute? Fact is, it would be very hard to survive in London on 11K... There was a recent report actually which has stated that wages in the UK are too low, like the minimum wage is etc.
I do think an hourly rate would be quite a fair way of paying it to be honest. The longer you work the more money you get. However, downroute, some destinations are more expensive than others. Also £2.10 an hour/£2.40 an hour would be a paycut!