Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) military families and (b) veterans will be served by the forces first housing scheme.

The Forces First approach will mean more Service personnel have access to the high-quality homes and home-ownership opportunities they deserve and will form part of the upcoming Defence Housing Strategy.

This approach will be applied by agreement with local authorities and development partners on a site-by-site basis, so it is not possible to estimate the number of military families or veterans who will currently benefit at this time.

A trailblazer for this approach is already underway at MOD Feltham in South-West London, where the MOD, the London Borough of Hounslow and the Greater London Authority have agreed to adopt a Forces First approach as part of a groundbreaking partnership to develop the site. Once vacated, this new development alone is expected to deliver hundreds of homes and jobs.