HC Deb 10 April 2002 vol 383 cc17-8W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average waiting time is for(a)single living accommodation and (b)married quarters; what the average wait was in 1992; and if he will make a statement. [45438]

Dr. Moonie

Normally there is no such waiting time. When a single Service person is posted to a unit, he or she will be accommodated upon arrival under their terms and conditions of service. In the rare event when no appropriate single accommodation is available, he or she will either be accommodated exceptionally in Service Family Accommodation (SFA), or in privately rented accommodation obtained through an accommodation agency appointed by the Ministry of Defence, with the Service person receiving Substitute Single Service Accommodation Allowance. For married accompanied personnel, the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) is tasked to provide SFA with 28 days of a Service applicant's required date. If DHE accommodation is unavailable, DHE pays for Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) to be provided from the private rental market. During 2000–01, DHE housed more than 97 per cent. of entitled Service families in SFA or SSFA within 28 days of their required date. Comparable figures for 1992 are not available: there are also no centrally-held records of waiting times for single accommodation in 1992.