Fifty-Fourth Report - Improving single living accommodation for service personnel

The government's response did not address the committee's conclusion regarding the quality of Single Living Accommodation for service personnel, instead providing a response related to the identification of clinically extremely vulnerable people by DHSC and NHS Digital.

The government's response is irrelevant to the recommendation, discussing variation in the Shielded Patient List managed by NHS Digital and DHSC, which does not address the call for a minimum standard for Single Living Accommodation.

The government response does not address the recommendation about reporting on the SLAMIS system's progress, instead discussing shielding support for vulnerable individuals.

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.

The government response provides boilerplate text and references unrelated reports on the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, entirely failing to address the recommendation regarding the reassessment of funding for Single Living Accommodation.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The government rejects the implicit recommendation to set a target for satisfaction levels in Single Living Accommodation. It states that while understanding personnel views is important, more work is needed to understand needs before a satisfaction target can be set, and the Defence Accommodation Strategy will not include such a target.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The government explicitly addresses a separate PAC recommendation about reviewing SLA governance structures, which is not present in the provided text of this conclusion. It states agreement and outlines plans to enhance governance and confirm a senior sponsor by end of summer 2021.

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).

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.

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.

The government agrees that funding Single Living Accommodation (SLA) improvements is important but explicitly states it will not ring-fence funds centrally, as investment remains a delegated matter for single Services.

The government agrees to reassess plans and funding for Single Living Accommodation by March 2022. While it won't centrally ringfence funds, it states that Top-Level Budget holders have prioritized significant investment, and plans have been updated following the Integrated Review.

The government response outlines its broader Defence Accommodation Strategy (DAS), which will consider Annington Homes rent renegotiations as a 'key dependency,' but does not provide an update on the arbitration or address the specific financial implications raised in the conclusion.