Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to RAF Saxa Vord for maintenance issues on (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The total number of callouts to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) for RAF Kirknewton, RRH Benbecula, RRH Buchan, RAF Saxa Vord, Kinloss Barracks, Glencorse Barracks, Dreghorn and Redford Barracks for maintenance issues since April 2022, are shown in the table below. Please note we are unable to separate the figures for Dreghorn and Redford Barracks as they are both held under the Edinburgh location.
MOD Site | Roofing | Loss of Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | Damp & Mould |
RAF Kirknewton | Station closed – All SFA have been identified for disposal | ||||
RRH Benbecula | SFA have been identified for disposal | ||||
RRH Buchan | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
RAF Saxa Vord | No SFA associated with this site. | ||||
Kinloss Barracks | 3 | 7 | 52 | 11 | 122 |
Glencorse Barracks | 5 | 7 | 26 | 1 | 118 |
Dreghorn & Redford Barracks | 10 | 11 | 86 | 8 | 203 |
The total number of callouts to RAF Kirknewton, RRH Benbecula, RRH Buchan, RAF Saxa Vord, Kinloss Barracks, Glencorse Barracks, Dreghorn and Redford Barracks for maintenance issues since April 2022 excluding callouts to SFA, are shown in the table below;
MOD Site | Roofing | Loss of Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | Damp & Mould |
RAF Kirknewton | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
RRH Benbecula | 6 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
RRH Buchan | 10 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 1 |
RAF Saxa Vord | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
Kinloss Barracks | 126 | 420 | 289 | 44 | 68 |
Glencorse Barracks | 121 | 296 | 249 | 7 | 50 |
Dreghorn Barracks | 4 | 148 | 206 | 3 | 6 |
Redford Barracks | 81 | 207 | 353 | 11 | 6 |
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to Redford Barracks for maintenance issues (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The total number of callouts to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) for RAF Kirknewton, RRH Benbecula, RRH Buchan, RAF Saxa Vord, Kinloss Barracks, Glencorse Barracks, Dreghorn and Redford Barracks for maintenance issues since April 2022, are shown in the table below. Please note we are unable to separate the figures for Dreghorn and Redford Barracks as they are both held under the Edinburgh location.
MOD Site | Roofing | Loss of Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | Damp & Mould |
RAF Kirknewton | Station closed – All SFA have been identified for disposal | ||||
RRH Benbecula | SFA have been identified for disposal | ||||
RRH Buchan | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
RAF Saxa Vord | No SFA associated with this site. | ||||
Kinloss Barracks | 3 | 7 | 52 | 11 | 122 |
Glencorse Barracks | 5 | 7 | 26 | 1 | 118 |
Dreghorn & Redford Barracks | 10 | 11 | 86 | 8 | 203 |
The total number of callouts to RAF Kirknewton, RRH Benbecula, RRH Buchan, RAF Saxa Vord, Kinloss Barracks, Glencorse Barracks, Dreghorn and Redford Barracks for maintenance issues since April 2022 excluding callouts to SFA, are shown in the table below;
MOD Site | Roofing | Loss of Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | Damp & Mould |
RAF Kirknewton | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
RRH Benbecula | 6 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
RRH Buchan | 10 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 1 |
RAF Saxa Vord | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
Kinloss Barracks | 126 | 420 | 289 | 44 | 68 |
Glencorse Barracks | 121 | 296 | 249 | 7 | 50 |
Dreghorn Barracks | 4 | 148 | 206 | 3 | 6 |
Redford Barracks | 81 | 207 | 353 | 11 | 6 |
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the service family accommodation housing stock is in Woolwich; and how many service family accommodation properties in Woolwich are listed to be disposed of.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There are 261 Service Family Accommodation properties in Woolwich and 57 of those have been identified for disposal.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) urgent and (b) routine maintenance and repair appointments for service accommodation properties in Scotland have been missed since 1 April 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since 1 April 2022, 1,302 maintenance and repair appointments for Service Family Accommodation properties have been missed in Scotland. This figure includes reactive repairs, planned maintenance and all other appointed tasks such as damp and mould remediation. Typically, circa 1,116 work orders are raised each month across Scotland and on average, 95% of appointments are met.
A further breakdown of this figure by priority category (urgent and routine) can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 22382 on Armed Forces: Housing, what the value is of those compensation claims.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The value of the 1,724 compensation claims paid to Service personnel living in Service Family Accommodation in Scotland is £132,593.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service family accommodation properties there are in Scotland.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There are 3,140 Service Family Accommodation properties in Scotland.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel live in single living accommodation in each UK region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The attached table shows the number of service personnel living in single living accommodation in each UK region.
SLA is a significant component of the domestic accommodation for Service personnel, ranging from multi-occupancy rooms with shared ablutions, through to high specification ensuite rooms with storage, social areas and kitchens depending on the accommodation purpose and requirement.
SLA is broken into three principal categories:
Permanent. Accommodation on units/bases to which personnel are allocated for an assigned tour of duty. For some people, this is where they live during the week and they may commute back to their family home at weekends; for others, this room can be their only home in which they have all their possessions and where they live full time over weekends and leave periods.
Temporary (transit). Accommodation for visitors, or those on training courses. This can be for one night or for some months where residential courses are delivered for example. Furthermore, a person on a four-month course can be occupying two bedspaces: their home unit room where they have all their possessions and their room on the course. In some cases, a serving person can live in an SFA with their family, occupy a room at their unit during the week and also occupy a transit room for a period. The definition of transit accommodation may also change; if a unit decides to change a block of transit accommodation into permanent accommodation or vice versa then they may do this in response to accommodation demand. Units may designate certain rooms in a permanent block as transit for varying periods of time this allows flexibility to be responsive to accommodation demands that ebb and flow. They can host foreign nations on exercises, accommodate personnel from other bases as overflow or in support of ceremonial activity.
Training estate. Where units and individuals deploy to exercise, there are no accommodation charges levied for this component of the estate, neither is there a grading system.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202814 on Armed Forces: Housing, how many service personnel were living in grade four single living accommodation in each region of the UK as of 18 April 2024.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The attached table shows the number of service personnel living in grade four single living accommodation in each UK region as of 18 April 2024.
SLA is a significant component of the domestic accommodation for Service personnel, ranging from multi-occupancy rooms with shared ablutions, through to high specification ensuite rooms with storage, social areas and kitchens depending on the accommodation purpose and requirement.
SLA is broken into three principal categories:
Permanent. Accommodation on units/bases to which personnel are allocated for an assigned tour of duty. For some people, this is where they live during the week and they may commute back to their family home at weekends; for others, this room can be their only home in which they have all their possessions and where they live full time over weekends and leave periods.
Temporary (transit). Accommodation for visitors, or those on training courses. This can be for one night or for some months where residential courses are delivered for example. Furthermore, a person on a four-month course can be occupying two bedspaces: their home unit room where they have all their possessions and their room on the course. In some cases, a serving person can live in an SFA with their family, occupy a room at their unit during the week and also occupy a transit room for a period. The definition of transit accommodation may also change; if a unit decides to change a block of transit accommodation into permanent accommodation or vice versa then they may do this in response to accommodation demand. Units may designate certain rooms in a permanent block as transit for varying periods of time this allows flexibility to be responsive to accommodation demands that ebb and flow. They can host foreign nations on exercises, accommodate personnel from other bases as overflow or in support of ceremonial activity.
Training estate. Where units and individuals deploy to exercise, there are no accommodation charges levied for this component of the estate, neither is there a grading system.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel live in single living accommodation (a) overseas and (b) in total.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As of 18 April 2024, there are 78,760 service personnel living in single living accommodation. Of those, 1,950 service personnel are living overseas.
SLA is a significant component of the domestic accommodation for Service personnel, ranging from multi-occupancy rooms with shared ablutions, through to high specification ensuite rooms with storage, social areas and kitchens depending on the accommodation purpose and requirement.
SLA is broken into three principal categories:
Permanent. Accommodation on units/bases to which personnel are allocated for an assigned tour of duty. For some people, this is where they live during the week and they may commute back to their family home at weekends; for others, this room can be their only home in which they have all their possessions and where they live full time over weekends and leave periods.
Temporary (transit). Accommodation for visitors, or those on training courses. This can be for one night or for some months where residential courses are delivered for example. Furthermore, a person on a four-month course can be occupying two bedspaces: their home unit room where they have all their possessions and their room on the course. In some cases, a serving person can live in an SFA with their family, occupy a room at their unit during the week and also occupy a transit room for a period. The definition of transit accommodation may also change; if a unit decides to change a block of transit accommodation into permanent accommodation or vice versa then they may do this in response to accommodation demand. Units may designate certain rooms in a permanent block as transit for varying periods of time this allows flexibility to be responsive to accommodation demands that ebb and flow. They can host foreign nations on exercises, accommodate personnel from other bases as overflow or in support of ceremonial activity.
Training estate. Where units and individuals deploy to exercise, there are no accommodation charges levied for this component of the estate, neither is there a grading system.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department's guidance entitled Purple Pack bereavement guide for families of service personnel, updated on 7 March 2023, is next due to be updated.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) as a caring employer has a comprehensive range of policies and resources in place to support families during the most difficult of times.
With regards to accommodation, Joint Service Publication 464: Tri-Service Accommodation Regulations, makes provision for bereaved families to remain in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) for up to two years following the death of a Service person. It is normal to issue a 93 Day Notice to Vacate when two years is reached but retention of SFA may be extended beyond the two-year period on a discretionary case by case basis.
The Purple Pack bereavement guide for families of service personnel who die in service is provided by the MOD. A routine review of the pack is underway, with a view to publication in summer 2024. The Purple Pack is supplemented and supported by documentation provided by each of the Services, for example, the Army Families Guide.
The Purple Pack is provided for immediate adult family members. Information is provided for adults to support and manage bereaved children, including signposting to relevant charities and organisations.
The Defence Bereaved Families Group meets twice a year in Spring and Autumn. In the past five years it has met ten times. The next meeting will be in September 2024, with the exact date yet to be confirmed. The Minister for Defence People and Families does not routinely attend the meeting, but he attended in September 2023 and regularly receives briefings from the Chair and co-Chair.
Visiting Officers (VO) are an integral part of the support provided by Defence to bereaved families. VO are provided by each Service and undertake training relevant to their role. The Royal Navy (RN) has 60 personnel trained as VO, the Army has 1,390 and the Royal Air Force (RAF) has 1,103.
Each Service runs training courses that meet their specific requirements, for personnel designated as a VO. For example, all RN VO are either Specialist Welfare Worker trained, having completed the Defence Specialist Welfare Worker Course (a Level Five Social Care training course specifically for the care of service personnel and their families), or Civil Service Social Workers registered with Social Work England (or equivalent devolved UK registration). In addition, all must attend and pass the RN Family & People Support VO training every three years.
For the Army, formal, in person training is provided for those conducting both Casualty Notification Officer and VO duties. The training competency is extant for four years; if not appointed within that time frame a one-day refresher course can be conducted to enable another four years competency. The Army’s recommended minimum provision of VO is set at ten for Regular major units, three for Regular minor units, and two for Reserve units.
The RAF VO competency is awarded after completion of a workshop and remains current for four years after which volunteers must attend another briefing day to renew it. Units are expected to aim for 2-5% of their trained strength to have the VO competency.
There is no fixed period of time during which a VO will provide support to a bereaved family. This is dependent upon circumstances but normally would not extend beyond an Inquest or Service Inquiry. Appropriate transition plans will be put in place including arrangements for ongoing support to be provided through a point of contact from either the relevant single Service aftercare cell or unit HR staff.
Via DBS’s Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), Defence also provides support to the bereaved via its national network of welfare managers (WM). A WM is assigned to families who experience a death in service and usually attends the initial visit alongside the VO. Support from VWS then endures for as long as is required and focuses on access to financial, welfare and wellbeing support as required, including issues in relation to the Armed Forces Pension. WMs who support clients in such circumstances are specifically trained and supervised as part of a VWS experts’ group. VWS is part of the Defence Bereaved Families Group.