Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted
MOD preparedness relied on additional resources, raising concerns for future service levels.
Conclusion
The MOD successfully delivered in winter 2023–24 on its preparedness planning and carried out the remediation work that it promised. However, this was only achieved through additional resources. Service families need reassurance that DIO and its contractors can continue to provide the same level of service in the future, when substantial emergency uplifts to funding may not be available. (Conclusion, Paragraph 70) 42
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepted the conclusion, detailing how additional funding was spent on upgrades and damp/mould remediation in 2023/24. For winter 2024/25, DIO undertook extensive planning, agreeing a range of activities with IPs that commenced in October 2024, with positive performance reported so far.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The MOD partially accepts the conclusion 14. The additional resource was funded via the Defence Command Paper Refresh, which provided an uplift in funding of £220 million in Financial Year 2023/24. This additional funding was spent on; upgrading kitchens/bathrooms; upgrades to heating systems; and delivering packages of works to tackle damp and mould. The funding was not spent directly on preparedness for winter, albeit the investment allowed the DIO to address the worst cases of damp and mould via a surge of activity. For winter 2024/25, the DIO undertook extensive planning with its IPs to test preparedness for winter and to learn lessons from previous years to ensure that all are as prepared as possible for adverse weather scenarios. The DIO agreed a range of activities with the FDIS Accommodation IPs, including local/regional and national plans to respond to Business as Usual, severe, and extreme weather events over the winter period which formally commenced at the end of October 2024. So far this winter, performance has mirrored that of the successful 2023/24 season. The average NAMS call wait time on Christmas Day was 7 seconds and there were 112 engineers on call over the festive Bank Holidays. Between 21 December 2024 and 5 January 2025, 4,192 repair jobs were completed which included replacing 21 boilers and carrying out 231 cooker repairs. Feedback from Service families has been positive.