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Question
The MP expresses concern about the volume of accommodation concerns during freezing weather and highlights specific issues like black mould and broken boilers. He questions the lack of reasonable ways to report problems, the Secretary of State’s meetings with contractors, a plan for MOD intervention, support over Christmas holidays, and current standards.
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledges the seriousness of these issues and confirms that rectification plans have been in place since September, reducing the backlog from 4,200 to around 3,100. £350 million has been allocated for maintenance above the usual £176 million annual sum, with a decrease in non-habitable failures for personnel moving into properties. There is an assurance that no one will move into properties with mould and alternative accommodation should be provided if necessary.
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Question
I am concerned about the current state of accommodation for armed forces personnel, particularly in relation to heating and boilers not working. I ask what will be done during the upcoming integrated review to address this issue.
Minister reply
The right hon. Gentleman is correct that this affects retention in the armed forces. £350 million has been allocated over two years for improvements. However, contractors like Pinnacle, Amey and VIVO failed to anticipate issues with their IT systems, leading to missed maintenance appointments.
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Question
Can the Minister guarantee that no service personnel or their families will be without heating or hot water this winter? How many homes are currently without these essentials?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is correct; contractors are not meeting key performance indicators and value for money is lacking due to missed maintenance appointments. £350 million has been allocated for improvements, including thermal efficiency measures.
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Question
In a 2020 report titled “Stick or Twist?”, poor accommodation was cited as one of the major factors in service personnel leaving. The Future Defence Infrastructure Services contract, however, was proceeded with despite these warnings.
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend is correct; there will be a long look at FDIS and lessons from entering into such contracts.
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Question
How can the Minister defend the poor conditions in service family accommodation? Is this failure due to a lack of funding, DIO incompetence, or contractor failure?
Minister reply
The MOD is putting additional funds into maintenance issues. The £350 million allocated addresses these concerns. Questions are being asked about how this contract was entered and who knew what.
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Question
What consequences will follow if satisfaction is not forthcoming, and can the Government discontinue the current contract?
Minister reply
There are clauses in the contract allowing for financial remedies from 23 January. Other legal options may be considered if the breach becomes severe.
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Question
HMS Raleigh; the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, Lympstone; HMS Sultan; HMS Collingwood; RAF Cranwell; RAF Halton; Catterick garrison; RAF Cosford and Stonehouse barracks are just nine armed forces sites that have contacted me about problems with hot water and heating. Many of those sites deal with initial basic training. What message does it send to young people and potential recruits if we cannot provide the basics of heating and hot water?
Minister reply
The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: that is not good enough. The majority—indeed, the large majority—of properties have experienced problems for less than 24 hours, but it should not happen at all. We are indignant and frustrated about contractors not meeting their requirements. From now on, we will take every proper and legal step to hold them to account.
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Question
Like many on both sides of this Chamber, I have had the privilege of spending time with the armed forces parliamentary scheme. Families' experience and expectation of being the partner of a service personnel are crucial for retention. How long will he give Pinnacle to pull its socks up or make significant change?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Potential financial consequences can follow from 23 January if things have not improved, I am receiving daily dashboards about the situation and expect improvements every single day.
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Question
When service personnel in service families accommodation are away, their spouse has to take charge of property maintenance. Last year, 16,250 armed forces personnel left the armed forces—the largest number since 2016. What account did the Government take of retention of service personnel when they awarded the contract to Pinnacle Group in April?
Minister reply
Issues of recruitment and retention are multifactorial but the hon. Gentleman raises a fair point. It was made crystal clear that Pinnacle had to deliver on it, because otherwise the implications for service families would be deeply profound.
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Question
The Public Accounts Committee has issued two reports on this—one in 2016 and one in 2021—and there is also the excellent report by the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford, which highlighted the same issues. What is the Minister going to do to make sure that there is a real difference? Will he undertake a root-and-branch review of how the Ministry of Defence contracts for these services?
Minister reply
There are two issues: first, the overall quality of stock needs improvement. The £350 million will principally direct at 20% accommodation that requires most support. Secondly, I am keen to get to the bottom of ensuring that DIO does its due diligence on contracts and make sure that we end up with something that will deliver.
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Question
Halifax is home to many armed forces families and has a long association with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in particular. Service families have made more than 9,000 complaints about the state of their service accommodation since the start of last year, largely relating to maintenance concerns. What are the consequences for those contractors where he finds such failure in meeting those service standards?
Minister reply
Built within the contract is an understanding that should contractors fail to meet acceptable levels of performance (ALP), financial penalties can follow. Under normal English law, if there is a repudiatory breach, it can lead to consequences for the company.
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Question
I thank the Minister for his strong response to the question. Many families are deeply concerned by the lack of action to tackle black mould in these homes and the serious effect it could have on their children’s health. What assurances can the Minister offer military families with children that they will not have to live in dangerous conditions?
Minister reply
The position is that if mould is found in a property before service family enters, they will not enter it. There is now a dedicated helpline for people to report it which leads to professional survey and remedial action.
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Question
After the death of Awaab Ishak, the Secretary of State said that it should never have happened and that it was a basic responsibility of local authority or housing association. There have been thousands of complaints since 2021 over problems of mould and leaking ceilings in homes of service personnel. Should not the Secretary of State for Defence accept same basic responsibility?
Minister reply
I agree more needs to be done regarding mould. DIO has set up an improvement team of 30 people ensuring that MOD will do everything it can to ensure Amey, VIVO and Pinnacle have nowhere to hide by blaming other people.
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Question
This is an extremely important issue, and I place on record my thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis) for securing this urgent question. I was lucky enough last year to complete the Royal Air Force segment of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, and I visited several bases in the UK and abroad and saw the standard of accommodation that some service families have to live in, and it is simply not acceptable. Will the Minister give the House a precise figure for service family properties that have cases of mould and damp?
Minister reply
I will write to the hon. Gentleman with a precise number, but the central point is this: any member of the armed forces, be they in the RAF—the Navy or the Army—should, if they discover mould in their service family accommodation, call the national hotline, and that should trigger the remedial action that I have indicated, with a surveyor going in. If the issue cannot be sorted within a reasonable period of time, they should then be re-accommodated.
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Question
I thank the Minister for his firm and helpful response to the urgent question. I have an Army base just a couple of miles from my constituency, and I believe it can be of use to help people, whether that is temporary accommodation or a complete refit for affordable housing. To see these sites lying vacant seems so wrong when there is so much need. Will the Minister outline what discussions have taken place referencing accommodation in Northern Ireland so that vacant properties are not left to fall into even deeper disrepair?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. It is not just Northern Ireland; other people have got in touch to say, ‘There seems to be this vacant accommodation.’ There is a lot of movement around the country, as he will appreciate, and the MOD needs to keep significant headroom in available accommodation. The central point is that that should not be a mechanism by which properties can fall into disrepair. He makes precisely that point, and that is why the £350 million over and above the annual maintenance cost is so important.