Prime Minister challenged over only repairing Armed Forces homes in emergencies
Rishi Sunak came under fire at Prime Minister's Questions, where he defended his party, saying Armed Forces accommodation is a priority for his party.
The Prime Minister was questioned by Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan over the Defence Infrastructure Organisation's (DIO's) new head of accommodation who this month told military families that non-urgent repairs and home improvements were "not currently affordable".
Mrs Morgan asked Mr Sunak when he would "prioritise a safe, warm and decent home for the servicemen and women who put their lives on the line for us".
He responded, saying his Government is committed to safe and well-maintained housing.
Mr Sunak said: "At this point, 96% of service family accommodation meets or exceeds the government’s Decent Homes Standards.
"Last year we put aside an extra £400m investment to improve things.
"When issues are reported, the Ministry of Defence has set up a dedicated hotline to ensure that those complaints are investigated by a professional surveyor."
He added: "We are the only party in this place committed to increasing our defence spending."
The DIO's new head of accommodation Air Commodore Leah Griffin revealed the lack of money for all but emergency repairs in her first update to military families.
However she assured families that she was working to challenge the budget settlement and was having to "make the case for investing in service family housing" due to finances in the DIO that are "more challenging than ever".
Ongoing housing problems have meant many service families have been forced to live in damp, cold and mouldy accommodation.
In response to the Prime Minister's response, Mrs Morgan said: "Rishi Sunak talks a big game about defence but he isn't even prepared to guarantee service families decent quality homes to live in.
"Military morale is lower than ever because those who serve our country have been subject to years of neglect by this Conservative government.
"Service people put their lives on the line to keep us and our allies safe. The least they should get in return is a clean, warm and safe home.
"Our Armed Forces deserve a Government that takes their needs seriously and backs up its words with real actions.
"That means upgrading military housing and removing repair contracts from companies that don't do their job."
She added: "We used to talk about building homes fit for heroes – and that's the very least we can deliver."
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