Defence Committee launch Sub-Committee on Service Accommodation
13 July 2023
The Defence Committee today launches a new Sub-Committee on Service Accommodation, chaired by Robert Courts MP.
This Sub-Committee will consider the current issues with Service accommodation and ask what the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) plans are to improve services, as well as modernise and invest in single living and Service families’ accommodation. The Sub-Committee inquiry will ask what should be included in the Future Accommodation offer and whether enough has been done to address failures in accommodation provisions by the MOD.
The deadline for written submissions is Friday 1 September 2023.
Chair's comment
Sub-Committee on Service Accommodation Chair, Robert Courts MP, said:
“Our Service personnel and their families make huge sacrifices to protect our way of life. The provision of decent, liveable homes is a fair and basic expectation.
“In recent months, numerous reports have revealed the dismal conditions that military personnel and their families have been forced to live in. I’ve seen with my own eyes the conditions they face – from leaky ceilings to mouldy walls, these are conditions so poor they can pose substantial risks to health and wellbeing.
“The Defence Infrastructure Organisation – responsible for 49,000 military homes in the UK – has admitted to ‘unacceptable levels of service’ and that hundreds of occupied homes had not had up-to-date gas and electrical safety inspections. The recent Continuous Attitudes Survey found that satisfaction with housing has fallen amongst single occupants and families.
“The MOD has named accommodation as a priority. Our hope is that this inquiry aids the MOD and provides clear recommendations for improvements.
“This inquiry will ask what the Government can do to improve our offer to Service personnel and military families. We’ll ask whether the right investments and modernisations are being made. The inquiry will also scrutinise programmes such as Future Defence Infrastructure Services and the Future Accommodation offer, asking whether they will deliver better accommodation options for Service personnel and their families.”
The Committee welcomes evidence on one or more of the following points:
- What measures have been put in place to resolve the housing maintenance issues, hold service providers to account and ease the cost of living for service families?
- Do the new Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) contracts for Service Family Accommodation represent value for money and are they operating effectively?
- What is the MOD doing and what more could they do to rebuild trust in service accommodation?
- Are there examples of good practice in provision of service accommodation, which could be replicated across Defence? What are the lessons and what is the potential impact of the re-negotiation of the Annington Homes contract?
- Is enough money being invested to modernise and future proof military accommodation and how long will it take for all military accommodation to meet an acceptable standard of energy efficiency? Is the MOD being as forward thinking and innovative as it could be in its approach to new housing stock?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Future Accommodation Model? How successful was the Future Accommodation Model pilot and what should the MOD take forward to include in the new accommodation offer?
- Is enough being done to help personnel leaving service transition to civilian housing?
- Could the Service accommodation offer be more supportive to those experiencing relationship breakdown or domestic abuse?
Each submission should be no longer than 3,000 words and contain a brief introduction about the author. Submissions should be in malleable format such as MS Word (not PDFs) with no use of colour, logos or photos. Further guidance is available on our Written Evidence Guidance.
Further information
Image: MoD/Crown copyright