Key Facts

• Amendments must be tabled no later than 4.30 pm on Thursday 9 April for consideration on 14 April.
• Amendments for 16 April must be tabled by the rise of the House on Monday 13 April.
• The amendment focuses on the budget for the proposed new Defence Housing Service.
• A sum of £9 billion has been put aside to create the Defence Housing Service.
• The defence investment plan (DIP) is yet to be published despite promises made in autumn and Christmas.
• The Defence Housing Service will be backed by £9 billion of funding.
• Complaints about military housing peaked at 4,200 in November 2023 but have reduced to 400 in 2026.
• The Defence Housing Service aims to launch from April 2027.
• Amendment 14 aims to make improving customer satisfaction a specific objective of the Defence Housing Service.
• The amendment requires that the framework agreement governing the new Defence Housing Service must at a minimum meet the 2006 decent homes standard.
• The '2006 decent homes standard' is defined in an accompanying amendment as the document published by the Department for Communities and Local Government on 7 June 2006.
• Amendment 4 is consequential on amendment 3.
• The decent homes standard has been law for about two decades.
• One in five service personnel plans to leave due to poor accommodation standards.
• Only half of service personnel living in defence housing are satisfied with the state of their housing.
• The Renters’ Rights Act was amended to include the decent homes standard but lacks specific targets or timelines.
• Amendments 3 and 4 would ensure parliamentary accountability for the MOD's compliance with the decent homes standard.
• Defence Housing Service will have a service ethos at its heart.
• Cat Calder from the Army Families Federation said that during the course of the defence housing strategy review, their views were taken into consideration.
• 1,000 worst homes are being transformed by Christmas with new kitchens, bathrooms and floors.
• Satisfaction rates in defence homes have risen to 51%, the highest level since 2021.
• There are currently 122 housing officers responsible for 300 to 400 homes each.
• Amendment 15 would make the Defence Housing Service responsible for providing accommodation for contact visits.
• Contact visits are governed by relevant court orders regarding access.
• The amendment aims to ensure that this duty is explicitly stated in the Bill and kept in mind.
• Amendment 15 seeks to require service accommodation policies to make explicit provision for contact visits.
• Current systems often lack appropriate facilities for family visits, especially where accommodation is limited or shared.
• The amendment aims to ensure that logistical constraints do not prevent parents from maintaining contact with their children.
• The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is proposed to be amended.
• There are approximately 47,500 service family accommodation properties and 100,000 single living accommodation spaces in the UK.
• A separate review of single living accommodation is underway and should be completed by summer.
• Single Living Accommodation (SLA) houses individuals in barrack blocks behind the wire.
• Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is located out in the local population, designed for families.
• A dedicated review of SLA is underway to deliver a strategy similar to the defence housing strategy but focusing on nuances specific to single living.
• The amendment requires direct reporting from the Chief Executive of the Defence Housing Service to the Minister.
• The National Armaments Director earns around £450k basic salary with a potential bonus of up to 60%.
• The MOD has four main pillars below ministerial level: permanent secretary, Chief of the Defence Staff, National Armaments Director, and Chief of Defence Nuclear.
• Amendment 16 seeks to require the chief executive of the Defence Housing Service to report directly to the Minister for the Armed Forces.
• Clive Efford contends that current governance arrangements provide a balance between independence and ministerial oversight, with accountability lying at Secretary of State level rather than with the Minister for the Armed Forces.
• The amendment is deemed unnecessary as it risks duplicating lines of ministerial accountability already set out in the Bill.
• Clause 3 creates the Defence Housing Service.
• The service aims to improve 90% of military homes, renewed or rebuilt over a decade with £9 billion investment.
• New military housing standards will be established including the decent homes standard.
• The new clause is related to the 'Stick or Twist?' report.
• Francois was commissioned by Theresa May in 2016 to write a report on military recruitment called “Filling the Ranks.”
• The retention report was submitted in February 2020 and covers visits to military establishments including Portsmouth, Catterick garrison, and Brize Norton.
• The proposal aims to move towards a more market-oriented solution by bringing in external housing sector professionals.
• A chief executive from the background of managing public sector housing, Craig Moule, has been involved in turning around the entity over five years.
• The Defence Housing Service is proposed as one step further along the spectrum than the old DIO.
• Recruitment saw a 13% uptick.
• Outflow reduced by 8%, the first change for 14 years.
• Defence Housing Service is implementing significant changes.
• Ministry of Defence heavily subsidises rents.
• Close working relationships with military commands are essential for housing renewal programmes.