MoD: Improving single living accommodation for service personnel

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 1 Feb 2021 Closed: 28 Jun 2021 Parliament page
Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is accommodation provided to single and unaccompanied service personnel, normally by means of a Mess or accommodation block. Armed forces surveyi ng s show s just over two in five (42%) service personnel live in SLA during the working week. The MoD states that regular forces … Read more
11 Recommendations
13 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
16 Nov
2021
Correspondence
2 Sep
2021
Report published
23 Apr
2021
Report published
16 Mar
2021
Correspondence
25 Feb
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
25 Feb 2021
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Improving single living accommodation for service personnel
Charlie Pate · Ministry of Defence David Brewer · Defence Infrastructure Organisation Lieutenant General James Swift · Ministry of Defence Sir Stephen Lovegrove · Ministry of Defence
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving single living accommodation for … HC 940 23 Apr 2021 24 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
15 results
Clear
5 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
Management of Single Living Accommodation has long suffered from a lack of coordination, ownership and...
Management of Single Living Accommodation has long suffered from a lack of coordination, ownership and strategic grip. Currently no single person has responsibility for Single Living Accommodation, and there are many different stakeholders involved, with some groups having been set … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and commits to reviewing and enhancing the governance structure for Single Living Accommodation, incorporating the newly appointed senior sponsor and bringing together policy, delivery, and funding by the end of summer 2021.
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1 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Ministry of Defence (the Department) about Single Living Accommodation for service personnel.1
Government Response
The government agrees to the recommendation and commits to writing to the Committee by December 2021. This letter will outline the changes being introduced under the Defence Accommodation Strategy to raise the priority of Single Living Accommodation and detail the implementation of National Audit Office recommendations.
HM Treasury
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7 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
The standard of Single Living Accommodation is very variable, and the Department agreed that it...
The standard of Single Living Accommodation is very variable, and the Department agreed that it is not acceptable that more than one-third of personnel in Single Living Accommodation are living in the lowest-grade accommodation (Grade 4 or below).17 We asked … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed with the Committee's conclusion, committing to setting a minimum standard for Single Living Accommodation (SLA) by December 2021. All SLA will be assessed against this standard, with necessary improvements incorporated into works programmes from financial year 2023-24.
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8 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
We were concerned as to whether all the poorest quality accommodation meets minimum health and...
We were concerned as to whether all the poorest quality accommodation meets minimum health and safety standards and asked why, if the accommodation used by 3% of personnel (2,388 individuals) was so poor that no rental charge was applied, it … Read more
Government Response
The government commits to setting and publishing a clear minimum standard for the condition of Single Living Accommodation by December 2021, going beyond safety to address basic habitability.
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9 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
While the Department told us that it is tremendously important that personnel feel valued for...
While the Department told us that it is tremendously important that personnel feel valued for what they are doing, we pointed out that some are living with problems with basic facilities including heating and hot water. The Department agreed that … Read more
Government Response
The government commits to setting and publishing a clear minimum standard for the condition of Single Living Accommodation by December 2021, addressing issues of basic habitability and moving beyond simple safety and compliance.
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11 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
Over the past six years (from 2015 to 2020) there has been a decrease in...
Over the past six years (from 2015 to 2020) there has been a decrease in satisfaction with both the response to requests for maintenance and repairs work for Single Living Accommodation, and the quality of that work.31 Nevertheless, the Department … Read more
Government Response
The government accepted the recommendation, committing to gathering Service personnel views on Single Living Accommodation (SLA) by December 2021. The SLA Expert Group is currently assessing the best methods, including surveys, to ensure these views inform estate management improvements.
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12 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
We questioned why in contrast to properties rented from other providers such as local authorities,...
We questioned why in contrast to properties rented from other providers such as local authorities, housing associations or private landlords, where there is a legally required standard for the accommodation, there is no specified standard for Single Living Accommodation. This … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed with the committee's recommendations, committing to define a minimum standard for Single Living Accommodation within the Defence Accommodation Strategy by December 2021 to eradicate the poorest quality accommodation. It also committed to gathering service personnel views, with the SLA Expert Group assessing specific methods, including surveys.
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13 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
The Department acknowledged that expectations of service personnel are changing, and that what they needed...
The Department acknowledged that expectations of service personnel are changing, and that what they needed at different points of their career varied.39 We are aware, for example, that there are concerns about poor or expensive wi-fi, and a lack of … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed with the recommendation to gather service personnel views on Single Living Accommodation (SLA), committing to set clear expectations within the Defence Accommodation Strategy (DAS) by December 2021, with the SLA Expert Group assessing specific methods, including surveys.
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14 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
We raised concerns that, given sustainability targets, in two or three years the Department will...
We raised concerns that, given sustainability targets, in two or three years the Department will have to retrofit much relatively new accommodation. It told us that it is running a number of low-carbon trials across Single Living Accommodation properties and … Read more
Government Response
The government commits to setting and publishing a clear minimum standard for the condition of Single Living Accommodation by December 2021, and states that the Defence Accommodation Strategy will consider wider initiatives like Net Zero Carbon.
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15 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
There is no single source of data on Single Living Accommodation, and the Department lacks...
There is no single source of data on Single Living Accommodation, and the Department lacks central data on its location, condition and usage.43 The Department said it recognises that its ability to track who is using what accommodation is poor … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed with the Committee's conclusion and committed to reporting in October 2021 on the progress of the Single Living Accommodation Management Information System (SLAMIS), including its full operating capability target for 2022.
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16 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
Given the Department stated it is looking for a simple solution, we questioned why, after...
Given the Department stated it is looking for a simple solution, we questioned why, after eight years of development, SLAMIS was not yet in service. The Department acknowledged the poor performance and that the SLAMIS project that commenced in 2013 … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to the recommendation and commits to reporting back to the committee in October 2021 on the progress of the SLAMIS system, including confirming when it will be fully operational in 2022.
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
Data from the last snapshot on 26 February 2020, showed a quarter of Single Living...
Data from the last snapshot on 26 February 2020, showed a quarter of Single Living Accommodation is unoccupied, and one-fifth of sites had more than 40% of Single Living Accommodation bed space unused.50 The Department agreed that a substantial amount … Read more
Government Response
The government plans to publish the Defence Accommodation Strategy (DAS) by the end of 2021, detailing changes for Single Living Accommodation (SLA), and has committed £1.5 billion for SLA investment over the next decade. It is also implementing NAO recommendations, including appointing a senior sponsor and reviewing governance structures.
HM Treasury
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19 Recommendation Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
Since the delegation of infrastructure budgets in 2018, each Command has developed its own plans...
Since the delegation of infrastructure budgets in 2018, each Command has developed its own plans tailored to its specific needs and priority areas, and it has set individual targets to reduce poor-quality Single Living Accommodation.57 We questioned the lack of … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed with the recommendation to review and simplify governance structures for Single Living Accommodation (SLA), confirming the Chief of Defence People as the senior sponsor and committing to enhance the governance structure by end of summer 2021 (target September 2021).
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
Improvements to Single Living Accommodation cannot be carried out in isolation because they overlap with...
Improvements to Single Living Accommodation cannot be carried out in isolation because they overlap with wider departmental programmes such as the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio (to create an estate of a more appropriate size and better quality) and the … Read more
Government Response
The government confirms the Defence Accommodation Strategy (DAS) will be published by the end of 2021, outlining how it will integrate policy and infrastructure plans for Single Living Accommodation (SLA). The department will also write to the committee by December 2021 detailing specific changes and plans to invest £1.5 billion over the next decade.
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion Accepted
Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving si…
The Department explained that under the delegated responsibilities for infrastructure, including Single Living Accommodation, the...
The Department explained that under the delegated responsibilities for infrastructure, including Single Living Accommodation, the Commands will decide how much to spend in this area, alongside other areas within their remit. In the 2020 Annual Budget Cycle, the Commands set … Read more
Government Response
The government stated it already plans to invest £1.5 billion into Single Living Accommodation (SLA) over the next decade, with the Defence Accommodation Strategy (DAS) providing long-term strategic direction. It reiterated that SLA management and funding remain delegated to single Services, who have already prioritised significant investment.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 24 of 11 classified
Accepted 15
Accepted in Part 1
Not Addressed 6
Rejected 2
Total 11 recs + 13 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
16 Nov 2021 Correspondence from David Williams, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, re update on improving single living accommodation for personnel, dated 2 November 2021
Parliament page
16 Mar 2021 Correspondence from Sir Stephen Lovegrove KCB, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, re Improving single living accommodation for service personnel PAC hearing 25 February 2021, dated 11 March 2021
Parliament page