Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average rental price paid by his Department was for Annington Homes-managed properties in each year since 1996.

The average rent per unit of Service Family Accommodation for each full financial year is as follows:

Financial Year average rent

Since 1996:

1997-1998 £2,026.35

1998-1999 £2,032.79

1999-2000 £2,107.79

2000-2001 £2,383.45

2001-2002 £2,603.92

2002-2003 £2,918.80

2003-2004 £3,023.13

2004-2005 £3,108.17

2005-2006 £3,282.08

2006-2007 £3,449.02

2007-2008 £3,596.23

2008-2009 £3,681.39

2009-2010 £3,743.53

2010-2011 £3,845.29

2011-2012 £3,933.24

2012-2013 £4,033.23

2013-2014 £4,083.49

2014-2015 £4,146.56

2015-2016 £4,311.78

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) pays Annington 42% of the agreed market rent for its properties.

Accommodation charges for our personnel are recommended by the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body and will continue to be subsidised by the MOD to reflect the unique conditions they face. Overall SFA charges continue to represent very good value for money compared to the civilian rental market with the majority of Other Ranks' accommodation costs being subsidised 51-60% by the public purse and 38% to 48% for Officers. The majority of Service personnel spend on average just 10-25% of their salary on accommodation, which compares to an average of 30% income for social renters and 40% for private renters.