As of 27 January 2020 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently has 8951 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties vacant in England (20%), 850 properties in Scotland (27%) and 274 properties in Wales (25%). These figures represent a snapshot in time as the occupancy rate varies on a daily basis as Service families move in and out. The Department is focused on reducing the number of empty properties in the UK from the current level of 20% overall to a 10% management margin by Autumn 2021. This is being achieved by handing back vacant properties in England and Wales to Annington Homes; widening eligibility to cohabiting couples and Service leavers; and accelerating the letting of temporarily empty properties to screened members of the public at prevailing market rates.<\/p>
SFA are modernised as required to maintain them at a Decent Homes Standard (DHS). 97% of all SFA meet DHS as a minimum, and are, therefore, available for allocation to Service families. In the last financial year this resulted in approximately 3,800 homes receiving upgrades, including new kitchens and bathrooms.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4306", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Goldie"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Goldie"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-01-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-01-27T16:31:21.22Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "11"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Defence"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Defence"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-01-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Armed Forces: Empty Property"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ministry of Defence dwellings are currently lying empty in each of (1) England, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales; and what plans they have, if any, to modernise and re-let those dwellings.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2018", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hylton"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hylton"} ], "uin" : "HL319"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1151682", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "The Senior Deputy Speaker"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1151682/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The full amount of any tip paid by debit card, or any other form of payment, is distributed amongst Catering and Retail staff, less a deduction for Employer\u2019s National Insurance at the appropriate rate.<\/p>
Gratuity payments are made to staff via the payroll, therefore a deduction for tax and Employee\u2019s National Insurance is made at the relevant rate.<\/p>
Any administration charges linked to payments via credit or debit cards are not deducted from the gratuity amount.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2079", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Laming"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Laming"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-11-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-11-05T15:10:56.203Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "204"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : ""} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-10-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "House of Lords: Gratuities"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether catering and retail staff members of the House of Lords receive the full amount of any \"tip\" given to them when paid by debit card.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4238", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Storey"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Storey"} ], "uin" : "HL319"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 2, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }