Armed Forces and Veterans
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the £15 billion increase in defence spending on (a) military housing and accommodation and (b) the Government's veterans strategy.
Answered by Luke Pollard
The Defence Investment Plan confirms the commitment to £9.2 billion funding to deliver the recommendations of the Defence Housing Strategy and allows the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to press forward with the establishment of a new dedicated Defence Housing Service through the Armed Forces Bill.
The MOD will publish its detailed business case and comprehensive delivery timeline for the Defence Housing Strategy over the next 12 months, in direct alignment with the National Audit Office recommendations. Work has already commenced on the 14,000 homes requiring substantial refurbishment, which were set out in the Strategy. We have already made significant improvements on over 1,250 military homes, with another 2,000 to be improved this financial year.
The Defence Investment Plan includes £1.4 billion over the next four years for Single Living Accommodation. We have begun an independent review of Single Living Accommodation that will report later this year. The results of the review will inform how we spend the £1.4 billion.
The investment will help deliver initiatives to ensure that every veteran is celebrated for their service, empowered to realise their full potential, and provided with support by Defence, Government and Society, beyond their time in uniform.
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