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Armed Forces: Housing

Volume 472: debated on Monday 3 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of (a) single living and (b) service family accommodation units in (i) Germany, (ii) Cyprus, (iii) Gibraltar and (iv) the Falklands Islands there were in each of the four charge grades at the most recent date for which figures are available. (182325)

Services Family Accommodation (SFA) and Single Living Accommodation (SLA) in Germany, Cyprus, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands is at the following Grade for Charge (GfC).

SFA

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Cyprus

0

504

27

140

8

1,589

65

Gibraltar

82

17

66

14

90

19

239

50

Falklands/ Ascension Islands

0

0

0

80

100

Germany

2,212

17

6,010

47

3,481

27

1,149

9

SLA

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Germany

2,356

14

1,494

9

4,186

24

8,989

53

Cyprus

67

4

14

1

534

36

882

59

Falklands/ Ascension Islands

14

<1

0

0

6,105

>99

Gibraltar

325

83

24

6

41

11

0

The low grade given to SLA in the South Atlantic Islands for example reflects the remote location and environmental factors rather than the actual condition of the accommodation which is considered reasonable. It should be noted that a large proportion of overseas SLA is only used during operational deployments. Although much of this accommodation is G4fC, residents are not charged for it.

In Cyprus, some 650 bed-spaces will be upgraded by 2012 for use on a permanent basis. In addition, there are ongoing programmes of improvement work in all the above locations including the Hired Accommodation Revitalisation Programme project, which aims to replace or upgrade the entire hired estate in Germany over the next five years.

Over the next decade the MOD will spend over £8 billion on accommodation, including some £3.1 billion on bringing accommodation up to the top condition. This will include the delivery of some further 30,000 new or improved SLA bed-spaces by 2013.