The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 2: Accommodation

HC 331, Second Report of Session 2012-13- Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

Author:

House of Commons - Defence Committee

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Price: £17.50

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'The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 2: Accommodation (HC 331)' has reported evidence that Armed Forces personnel and their families value accommodation very highly and see it as part of their terms and conditions of employment, promoting unit cohesion and support for families when personnel are deployed on operations.

The provision of accommodation is particularly important for those who are required to be mobile; it is the only option allowing families to live together. It is also clear that for many personnel, Service Families Accommodation is the only affordable housing solution.

The Families Federation reported that inquiries and complaints about accommodation account for more than half of the regular communications they receive. So when the Committee considered the decision by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to halt upgrade work on accommodation for the next three years, they saw it as damaging to the Covenant and recommended that the MoD look again urgently at the stoppage.

In early 2012 the MoD began work on the New Employment Model, looking at how Armed Forces personnel are employed. One element of this is the Future Accommodation. The Committee recommends that this project should be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of the three individual Services by allowing sufficient variation to meet their differing needs. They should also take account of the needs of personnel at different stages in their lives and careers.

Given the fragility of morale we recommend that the MoD should use a more effective communications strategy to ensure Service families are informed.

Extent	149 pages	ISBN	9780215045690
Size	A4	Price	£17.50
Format	Paperback	Published	26 Jun 2012
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges