Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many properties that are the responsibility of Defence Infrastructure Organisation have (a) mould and (b) asbestos.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
At the present time, 426 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties have reported damp and mould issues. This is less than 1% of the overall SFA portfolio, and the continued reduction is being actively managed through robust arrangements.
Given the number of SFA properties built prior to 1970, around 34,300 homes (70%) still contain low risk asbestos containing materials (ACM). These are suspended in artex ceiling coatings, adhesive to floor tiles and external roof facias etc. Under our duty of care, the Ministry of Defence maintains an asbestos register and monitors closely the condition of ACM to ensure dangers are minimised. Of note, the English housing survey of 2014-2015 reported that 76% of all houses in England which were built before 1980 and approximately 18 million homes potentially contain ACM.