Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
1st Report – Service Accommodation
Defence Committee
HC 406
Published 11 December 2024
Recommendations
16
Acknowledged
Resolve outstanding damp and mould issues and publish annual remediation statistics by June 2025.
Recommendation
The DIO must resolve outstanding problems with damp and mould across the estate. In its response to this report, the Government should detail the ongoing work to eliminate damp and mould in SFA, including a timeline for remediation of the …
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Government Response Summary
The MOD accepts the recommendation, acknowledging ongoing challenges and efforts. It details existing work by the Damp & Mould Taskforce and future plans for housing regeneration via the Annington deal, but does not provide a specific timeline for remediation of the entire estate or explicitly commit to publishing detailed statistics by June 2025 as requested, due to truncated text.
Ministry of Defence
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27
Acknowledged
Provide update to Service personnel on SFA allocation approach, timescales, and impact assessment.
Recommendation
The Government should provide an update to us, and more importantly to Service personnel, on its approach to allocation of SFA, with timescales and metrics for implementation. This should take into account the different needs of the three Services and …
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Government Response Summary
The MOD accepts the recommendation, stating that a recent survey and frontline command input informed the review of SFA allocation. An announcement regarding the revised offer, which will leverage opportunities from the SFA estate buy-back, will be made in due course.
Ministry of Defence
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Conclusions (6)
12
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The MOD has highlighted the preparation of homes for move-in as an area in which VIVO and Amey need to show improvement to meet their contractual Acceptable Level of Performance (ALP) requirements. (Conclusion, Paragraph 66)
Government Response Summary
The government merely states that it accepts the conclusion but provides no specific details or clarification on any improvements being made to the move-in process.
13
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The DIO should clarify what improvements have been and are being made to the move-in process, to guarantee homes consistently meet an acceptable standard of decoration, maintenance and cleanliness in good time. (Recommendation, Paragraph 67)
Government Response Summary
The government merely states that it accepts the recommendation but provides no specific details or clarification on any improvements being made to the move-in process.
25
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The MoD’s communication of its new accommodation offer for SFA was inadequate for those adversely affected by the policy change, including those with rank-based benefits, to understand and respond to its impact on them. (Conclusion, Paragraph 133)
Government Response Summary
The MOD partially agrees, acknowledging past communication challenges and a need for stronger future alignment. Officials are working closely with frontline commands to ensure messages are widely disseminated to Service Personnel regarding any future accommodation offers.
26
Conclusion
Acknowledged
We support the MOD’s decision to pause and conduct a review of the accommodation offer for SFA because of concerns around retention of personnel. However, we recognise that this decision has caused potential disappointment for the 45,000 personnel in long-term relationships and/ or with non-resident children, who might have hoped …
Government Response Summary
The MOD agrees and remains committed to widening SFA entitlement. A review of the paused changes is nearing completion, and the outcome is expected to be communicated in the near future.
28
Conclusion
Acknowledged
By mishandling the implementation of the Modernised Accommodation Offer (MAO), the MOD has created a situation in which groups of service personnel are now more likely to feel aggrieved, whatever form the scheme takes. With a limited supply of housing, some personnel will inevitably lose out. It is vital that …
Government Response Summary
The MOD agrees, noting that bringing the SFA estate back into ownership offers new opportunities but will take time. It commits to supporting personnel, has undertaken further modelling, and aims to mitigate negative impacts while pursuing wider SFA entitlement.
29
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The former Minister of State said that the Secretary of State would report the findings from the review in the Summer; however, following the change in Government, there has as of 3 December 2024 been no announcement of a new accommodation offer for service families. (Conclusion, Paragraph 137) 44
Government Response Summary
The MOD agrees, explaining that the SFA estate buy-back has created new opportunities impacting the review's implementation, and an announcement will be made in due course. The government intends to provide an update in the coming months for Service Personnel awaiting the outcome.