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| Handover of forces homes attacked | Handover of forces homes attacked |
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| The Ministry of Defence must improve the way it hands over accommodation to armed forces families, says the Commons spending watchdog. | The Ministry of Defence must improve the way it hands over accommodation to armed forces families, says the Commons spending watchdog. |
| Many families do not see their new homes before they move in and often find them dirty when they arrive, the Public Accounts Committee found. | Many families do not see their new homes before they move in and often find them dirty when they arrive, the Public Accounts Committee found. |
| It said they should get more details in advance and cleaning charges could be deducted from previous occupants. | It said they should get more details in advance and cleaning charges could be deducted from previous occupants. |
| A report in March found a third of families rated accommodation as "poor". | A report in March found a third of families rated accommodation as "poor". |
| Top tier | Top tier |
| That report, by the National Audit Office, found that among the 12,427 armed forces families it had surveyed, nearly a quarter said their home had been badly maintained and more than a third said their properties had not been cleaned before they moved in. | That report, by the National Audit Office, found that among the 12,427 armed forces families it had surveyed, nearly a quarter said their home had been badly maintained and more than a third said their properties had not been cleaned before they moved in. |
| Some 31% rated their home as in a poor condition, but 52% said it was in good condition. | Some 31% rated their home as in a poor condition, but 52% said it was in good condition. |
| In Tuesday's report, the MPs said 90% of the 50,000 properties provided by the MoD were in the top two of the four-tier ranking system - meeting the government's decent homes standard. | In Tuesday's report, the MPs said 90% of the 50,000 properties provided by the MoD were in the top two of the four-tier ranking system - meeting the government's decent homes standard. |
| Just providing housing for squaddies is not and never has been at the top of the list and maybe in the modern world, it's about time it is Edward LeighPublic Accounts Committee | Just providing housing for squaddies is not and never has been at the top of the list and maybe in the modern world, it's about time it is Edward LeighPublic Accounts Committee |
| However, the proportion in the very top tier fell from 57% to 35% between 2008 and 2009, while those in the second tier grew from 37% to 59%. | However, the proportion in the very top tier fell from 57% to 35% between 2008 and 2009, while those in the second tier grew from 37% to 59%. |
| Examining the NAO report, the committee called on the MoD to introduce a deposit scheme so the cost of cleaning could be deducted from those families who leave properties in a bad way. | Examining the NAO report, the committee called on the MoD to introduce a deposit scheme so the cost of cleaning could be deducted from those families who leave properties in a bad way. |
| Estate-agent style details - including photographs and floor plans - should be given to families before they move in, the committee said, to help improve the experience for families. | Estate-agent style details - including photographs and floor plans - should be given to families before they move in, the committee said, to help improve the experience for families. |
| And it said too many properties were still standing empty - about 17% - and the MoD should "speed up its decision making and bring more of these properties into use or dispose of them". | And it said too many properties were still standing empty - about 17% - and the MoD should "speed up its decision making and bring more of these properties into use or dispose of them". |
| 'Treated like clients' | 'Treated like clients' |
| It also said the whole system was too complex and rigid and the MoD should consider letting larger families of lower ranked soldiers use bigger properties set aside for officers' families. | It also said the whole system was too complex and rigid and the MoD should consider letting larger families of lower ranked soldiers use bigger properties set aside for officers' families. |
| The committee's chairman Edward Leigh told the BBC that he believed providing housing for ordinary soldiers had taken a back seat to spending on operations and procurement at the MoD. | The committee's chairman Edward Leigh told the BBC that he believed providing housing for ordinary soldiers had taken a back seat to spending on operations and procurement at the MoD. |
| "Just providing housing for squaddies is not and never has been at the top of the list and maybe in the modern world, it's about time it is," he said. | "Just providing housing for squaddies is not and never has been at the top of the list and maybe in the modern world, it's about time it is," he said. |
| Labour is failing to live up to the military covenant - too many of our armed forces are paid peanuts and given shoddy housing Nick HarveyLib Dem defence spokesman | |
| He said soldiers' families deserved to be treated "like they are private clients who can walk away" from unsatisfactory accommodation. | He said soldiers' families deserved to be treated "like they are private clients who can walk away" from unsatisfactory accommodation. |
| Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said all properties ranked in the lower two tiers would be upgraded by 2013 and the government expected to spend £3bn improving services accommodation over 10 years. | Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said all properties ranked in the lower two tiers would be upgraded by 2013 and the government expected to spend £3bn improving services accommodation over 10 years. |
| He said some properties had to be kept vacant to accommodate about 20,000 moves a year but he hoped to reduce empty properties to 10% of the total stock by 2012. | He said some properties had to be kept vacant to accommodate about 20,000 moves a year but he hoped to reduce empty properties to 10% of the total stock by 2012. |
| He added: "The report rightly recognises both the size and challenge we face, and the huge effort we have made to improve the standard of service accommodation." | He added: "The report rightly recognises both the size and challenge we face, and the huge effort we have made to improve the standard of service accommodation." |
| Shadow defence secretary Dr Liam Fox said the government's treatment of the armed forces and their families "has been one of failure and neglect". | |
| 'Years of neglect' | |
| He said: "Despite their promises, too many service personnel and their families are living in homes that fail to meet the government's own decent homes standard. | |
| "The last thing service personnel should have to worry about while on operations in Helmand is whether their family back at home is being taken care of." | |
| Meanwhile, Lib Dem defence spokesman Nick Harvey said forces' housing was "disgraceful" after "years of neglect". | |
| "Labour is failing to live up to the military covenant. Too many of our armed forces are paid peanuts and given shoddy housing," he said. | "Labour is failing to live up to the military covenant. Too many of our armed forces are paid peanuts and given shoddy housing," he said. |
| A spokeswoman for the Army Families Federation said Defence Estates, which manages MoD property, was "hamstrung by tightly-controlled Whitehall budgets in its aim to resolve long-standing problems caused by decades of under-investment". | A spokeswoman for the Army Families Federation said Defence Estates, which manages MoD property, was "hamstrung by tightly-controlled Whitehall budgets in its aim to resolve long-standing problems caused by decades of under-investment". |
| Future spending cuts could prove "devastating" to progress already made, she said. | Future spending cuts could prove "devastating" to progress already made, she said. |