Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many investigations of (a) damp and (b) mould issues in (i) Service Family and (ii) Single Living Accommodation have been investigated by a professional surveyor since January 2022.

Since April 2022, 225 investigations of damp and mould have been carried out by a professional surveyor on behalf of VIVO, who operate the Regional Accommodation Maintenance Service (RAMS) Contract in the Southwest and Southeast of the UK in respect of approximately 28,600 residential properties. 114 resulted in the issue of a full damp and mould survey report.

Amey, who operate the RAMS Contract for the Northern and Central regions of the UK, do not record the information in the format requested. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Defence has a robust damp and mould management policy for Service Family Accommodation. In early 2022, it was directed that no properties with reported issues should be allocated. If a damp or mould problem cannot be resolved quickly, if it is particularly severe or if a family member has a known vulnerability, families should be offered alternative accommodation.

The information is not held centrally for Single Living Accommodation and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.