Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the cost-effectiveness of the delivery of military housing through the Defence Housing Strategy 2025.

In January 2025, this Government completed a landmark deal to reacquire the c.36,000 service family estate homes sold to Annington Homes in 1996. This reversed one of the most notorious privatisations of the 1990s, described as ‘disastrous’ by the Public Accounts Committee, and saves c.£600,000 a day, or over £200 million a year.

Under the plans set out in the Defence Housing Strategy, nine in 10 Defence homes – more than 40,000 - will be modernised or upgraded, of which three in 10 – more than 10,000 - will be substantially refurbished or replaced, including through new build, backed by record £9.2 billion of investment to be delivered and driven by the new Defence Housing Service.

The Defence Housing Service will improve contracting and delivery efficiencies and allow the reinvestment of value generated from surplus defence housing and land. The funding and planning flexibilities set out in the Defence Housing Strategy will provide a more sustainable framework for maintaining defence housing, improving services for Service Personnel and their families, and ensuring value for the taxpayer.