The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has outlined its efforts to tackle the backlog of maintenance across its estate, including Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and Single Living Accommodation (SLA).
Responding to a parliamentary question from Chris Evans, MP for Caerphilly, Defence Minister Maria Eagle provided an update on the scale of the issue and the steps being taken to address it.
Eagle confirmed that the MoD carries out over 300,000 maintenance tasks per year, covering both proactive and reactive repairs to ensure homes meet the Decent Home Standard. However, she acknowledged that “circa 2% of these tasks are currently on hold,” forming the department’s maintenance backlog. She clarified that none of the delayed works are priority tasks and that they will be addressed once discretionary funding is available.
For the wider Built Estate, which includes SLA, the MoD employs a combination of visual inspections and the Asset Lifecycle and Replacement Model (ALaRM) tool to identify required maintenance and lifecycle replacements. This approach enables the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to assess the necessary works and prioritise funding accordingly.
“Safety works are addressed immediately, or the risk mitigated, for example, by building closure,” Eagle stated. Other maintenance needs are categorised based on their operational importance, with funding decisions made by the asset owners within Defence.
She emphasised that the safety of service personnel and their families remains a top priority for the MoD, ensuring that critical infrastructure remains fit for purpose while balancing budget constraints.
As exciting as new ships, tanks or aircraft are the most important use of the new money is to fix the foundations. Accommodation, logistics & bases all need investment. There’s a base near why I live that I visit several times a year as part of my civilian job and the place is falling apart. They can’t even afford CCTV cameras. That’s where the priorities need to be!
I could never understand why (back in the day) the MoD did not transfer the responsibility of doing maintenance and upgrades on SFAs to Annington Homes. MoD was supposedly divesting themselves of a non-core function.