Service Accommodation
Defence Committee
Closed
Inquiry
In this inquiry into Service Accommodation, the Committee is considering current issues with service accommodation; the Ministry of Defence’s plans to improve services and modernise and invest in single living and service families’ accommodation; and what should be included in the Future Accommodation offer. This inquiry was originally conducted during …
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5
Recommendations
24
Conclusions
1
Report
2
Oral sessions
2
Events
Activity timeline 6 events
3 Mar
2025
2025
Report published
11 Dec
2024
2024
Report published
27 Feb
2024
2024
Oral evidence
27 Feb
2024
2024
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
27 Nov
2023
2023
Oral evidence
27 Nov
2023
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
27 Feb 2024
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Panel 1
James Cartlidge MP · Ministry of Defence
Major General Richard Clements · Ministry of Defence
Mike Green · Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Vice Admiral Philip Hally · Ministry of Defence
27 Nov 2023
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Panel 1
Claire Kober OBE · Pinnacle Group
Craig McGilvray · Amey
Jerry Moloney · VIVO Defence Services
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Report – Service Accommodation | HC 406 | 11 Dec 2024 | 29 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
8 results
12
Conclusion
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
Contractors must improve preparation of homes for move-in to meet contractual standards.
The MOD has highlighted the preparation of homes for move-in as an area in which VIVO and Amey need to show improvement to meet their contractual Acceptable Level of Performance (ALP) requirements. (Conclusion, Paragraph 66)
Government Response
The government merely states that it accepts the conclusion but provides no specific details or clarification on any improvements being made to the move-in process.
Ministry of Defence
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13
Conclusion
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
Clarify improvements to move-in process, guaranteeing acceptable home standards in time.
The DIO should clarify what improvements have been and are being made to the move-in process, to guarantee homes consistently meet an acceptable standard of decoration, maintenance and cleanliness in good time. (Recommendation, Paragraph 67)
Government Response
The government merely states that it accepts the recommendation but provides no specific details or clarification on any improvements being made to the move-in process.
Ministry of Defence
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16
Recommendation
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
Resolve outstanding damp and mould issues and publish annual remediation statistics by June 2025.
The DIO must resolve outstanding problems with damp and mould across the estate. In its response to this report, the Government should detail the ongoing work to eliminate damp and mould in SFA, including a timeline for remediation of the …
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Government Response
The MOD accepts the recommendation, acknowledging ongoing challenges and efforts. It details existing work by the Damp & Mould Taskforce and future plans for housing regeneration via the Annington deal, but does not provide a specific timeline for remediation of the entire estate or explicitly commit to publishing detailed statistics by June 2025 as requested, due to truncated text.
Ministry of Defence
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25
Conclusion
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
MoD's communication of new SFA accommodation offer proved inadequate for affected personnel.
The MoD’s communication of its new accommodation offer for SFA was inadequate for those adversely affected by the policy change, including those with rank-based benefits, to understand and respond to its impact on them. (Conclusion, Paragraph 133)
Government Response
The MOD partially agrees, acknowledging past communication challenges and a need for stronger future alignment. Officials are working closely with frontline commands to ensure messages are widely disseminated to Service Personnel regarding any future accommodation offers.
Ministry of Defence
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26
Conclusion
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
Support for pausing SFA accommodation offer review, acknowledging personnel disappointment.
We support the MOD’s decision to pause and conduct a review of the accommodation offer for SFA because of concerns around retention of personnel. However, we recognise that this decision has caused potential disappointment for the 45,000 personnel in long-term …
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Government Response
The MOD agrees and remains committed to widening SFA entitlement. A review of the paused changes is nearing completion, and the outcome is expected to be communicated in the near future.
Ministry of Defence
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27
Recommendation
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
Provide update to Service personnel on SFA allocation approach, timescales, and impact assessment.
The Government should provide an update to us, and more importantly to Service personnel, on its approach to allocation of SFA, with timescales and metrics for implementation. This should take into account the different needs of the three Services and …
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Government Response
The MOD accepts the recommendation, stating that a recent survey and frontline command input informed the review of SFA allocation. An announcement regarding the revised offer, which will leverage opportunities from the SFA estate buy-back, will be made in due course.
Ministry of Defence
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28
Conclusion
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
Mishandling Modernised Accommodation Offer caused personnel grievance, impacting morale and retention.
By mishandling the implementation of the Modernised Accommodation Offer (MAO), the MOD has created a situation in which groups of service personnel are now more likely to feel aggrieved, whatever form the scheme takes. With a limited supply of housing, …
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Government Response
The MOD agrees, noting that bringing the SFA estate back into ownership offers new opportunities but will take time. It commits to supporting personnel, has undertaken further modelling, and aims to mitigate negative impacts while pursuing wider SFA entitlement.
Ministry of Defence
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29
Conclusion
Acknowledged
1st Report – Service Accommodation
No announcement made on new accommodation offer for service families after government change.
The former Minister of State said that the Secretary of State would report the findings from the review in the Summer; however, following the change in Government, there has as of 3 December 2024 been no announcement of a new …
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Government Response
The MOD agrees, explaining that the SFA estate buy-back has created new opportunities impacting the review's implementation, and an announcement will be made in due course. The government intends to provide an update in the coming months for Service Personnel awaiting the outcome.
Ministry of Defence
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