Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Service Accommodation

Monday 20 November 2023 · 6 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • 5% of the service family accommodation meets or exceeds the Government's decent homes standard.
  • The Government have doubled investment in the current financial year to address issues like damp and mould.
  • The Minister invites detailed complaints to be sent via letter for investigation and action.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire
Defence
Context

The question stems from concerns about the quality of service family accommodation, with a focus on ensuring that only properties meeting or exceeding decent homes standards are allocated to service families. The MP references current statistics and seeks reassurance on improvements.

Question

What steps he is taking to improve service accommodation for armed forces personnel. Current data shows 96.5% of the service family accommodation meets or exceeds the Government's decent homes standard, but there is a concern that substandard properties are still being allocated.

Answer from James Cartlidge

Currently, 96.5% of the service family accommodation meets or exceeds the Government's decent homes standard; only those properties should be allocated to service families. The Government continue to invest significant sums to improve the quality of UK service family accommodation. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation received an investment of £400 million over this financial year and the next as part of the defence Command Paper refresh, meaning that the forecast £380.2 million for this year is more than double last year's investment in maintenance and improvements.

Answered
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Q2 Chris Elmore Lab Bridgend
Defence
Context

The issue involves black mould and damp affecting military family homes, which was reported to have affected nearly 5,000 homes last year. The MP seeks urgent action to resolve these issues.

Question

A year ago, almost 5,000 service personnel's homes were affected by black mould and damp. Despite investment increases, too many families still face this problem. Can the Minister set out how he plans to tackle it quickly?

Answer from James Cartlidge

The hon. Gentleman asks an excellent question. We are aware that what happened last winter was not good enough. Too many homes were affected, particularly by damp and mould. That is why we have prioritised getting the investment in, and it has more than doubled in the current financial year. I am pleased to confirm to him that last week I set out our winter plan. It shows that 4,000 homes in the defence estate would benefit from significant work on damp and mould, which is about 60% of the total number that require that work.

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Q3 Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire
Defence
Context

A constituent's complaint about rat infestation in a barracks and the provision of shipping containers as makeshift accommodation is raised by the MP. The question seeks reassurance on a timeline for permanent housing.

Question

My constituent reports living in rat-infested accommodation, sometimes with multiple soldiers per room. Shipping containers have been used to house soldiers temporarily. Can the Minister provide any assurance that these servicemen will be provided with proper accommodation soon?

Answer from James Cartlidge

I am obviously sorry to hear about that case. I would ask the hon. Member to write to me with the details, and I will look into it with the DIO. The key thing is that, wherever we are talking about—whichever specific barracks or base—if we are going to get on with the works, we need the money there, and we have got that. We have put in place the extra £400 million, and as I set out in the winter plan, thousands of forces personnel will now benefit from that work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a specific timeline for addressing rat-infested accommodation

How: Asked Mp To Write With Details

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Q4 Mark Francois Con Rayleigh and Wickford
Defence Standards & Ethics
Context

The Member criticises the DIO's inefficiencies, particularly in issuing safety certificates. He requests the Minister to consider radical reforms based on recent discussions at the Defence Committee.

Question

The DIO is not fit for purpose, with significant delays in issuing safety certificates and unacceptable performance overall. Can I urge the Minister to look into potential radical reforms to improve service accommodation for our personnel?

Answer from James Cartlidge

I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend. He knows that I share his passion for seeing genuine step change improvements in our accommodation. That is why we have announced the spending that we have. On the performance of the contractors, which the DIO ultimately oversees, one of the important aspects of the winter plan is a significant increase in staff manning the telephone service, so that we see better service to personnel. We expect the average waiting time for one of those calls to go from seven minutes to 29 seconds.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to radical reforms but focused on improving service response times

How: Shifted Focus To Telephone Service Performance

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Q5 Caroline Dinenage Con Gosport
Defence
Context

The Member reports on the closure of an accommodation block due to unfit conditions at HMS Collingwood and mentions issues with accommodation blocks in HMS Sultan. The MP invites the Minister for a site visit.

Question

Earlier this year, one of the accommodation blocks at HMS Collingwood was shut down because it wasn't fit for human habitation. There are also problems with accommodation at HMS Sultan. Could I invite the Minister to come to Gosport and see some of the military accommodation on offer?

Answer from James Cartlidge

I would be more than happy to do so.

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Q6 Luke Pollard Labour (Co-op) Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Defence Housing
Context

The MP raises concerns about heating, boilers, and repairs in military housing, referencing a specific case of a family forced to stay in a hotel due to non-functioning boiler. The question seeks assurance that such situations will be prevented this winter.

Question

Reports indicate broken boilers, black mould, leaky roofs, and long wait times for repairs. Last Christmas, one service family went without heating for three weeks and had to live in a hotel over the holiday period. Can the Minister assure me no military personnel or their families will go without heating or be forced out of homes this winter due to poor accommodation?

Answer from James Cartlidge

I am grateful to the hon. Member, and I repeat the point: we recognise that performance was not good enough last winter, which is why the Secretary of State made it an absolute priority to get the extra investment in. Having done that, I am pleased to say that the winter plan does include boiler and heating upgrades for about 1,500 homes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a full guarantee but highlighted recent investments

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