Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
The condition of living accommodation is vitally important for the Armed Forces’ ‘lived experience’, yet...
Conclusion
The condition of living accommodation is vitally important for the Armed Forces’ ‘lived experience’, yet the latest annual survey on personnel’s views and experiences shows continuing dissatisfaction with accommodation and its maintenance. In May 2021, satisfaction by service personnel on the quality and maintenance of the estate was 34%, down from 40% a few years ago.40 However, the Department has not tackled problems with the poor quality of its estate, with 30% still being in an unacceptable condition. For more than a decade it has operated a ‘fix on fail’ approach to maintenance in large parts of the estate, meaning that it has been unable to conduct all the preventive maintenance that was needed.41
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2022 6.2 The department is refreshing building design standards to ensure that it only constructs accommodation and offices that meet the expectations of Defence personnel both now and in the future. The department plans to invest circa £1.5 billion (excluding DEO) in improving Single Living Accommodation (SLA) over the next decade. 6.3 In addition, in the last five years, the Department has invested more than £650 million in improvements to Service Family Accommodation (SFA). Over 97% of UK SFA meets or exceeds the Decent Homes Standard with no properties allocated below that standard. 6.4 Over the past two years the department’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Industry Partner, Amey, have worked collaboratively to improve accommodation delivery, with a clear focus on improving key performance indicators in maintenance and move-in preparation. As a result, the experience of service families has steadily improved. The latest survey data of August 2021 has shown that 61% of Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) respondents were satisfied with their homes, with 63% citing defence accommodation as providing value for money. 6.5 Both SFA and SLA will improve further under the new Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts and the implementation of the new SLA minimum standards creating the opportunity to move away from a ‘fix on fail’ approach to preventative maintenance. The department expects the impact of its increased investment in the improvement and modernisation of SFA to be reflected in future improvements in customer satisfaction levels.