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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. |
| Don Touhig, Public Accounts Committee: Accommodation should be a top priority | Don Touhig, Public Accounts Committee: Accommodation should be a top priority |
| 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. |
| 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". | 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' |
| The committee 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 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, Conservative MP 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, Conservative MP 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 | 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". | 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' | '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. | 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." | "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". | 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. |
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