Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to purchase new housing stock in communities where Ministry of Defence housing stock is unused.

On 3 November 2025, we announced our Defence Housing Strategy (DHS). It’s the most significant change for Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years and kickstarts one of Britain’s most ambitious building programmes in decades – delivering new homes for military and civilian families and driving economic growth.

As part of the DHS, a new demand and supply forecasting model will ensure that the future housing needs of the Armed Forces are more accurately planned for, enabling us to deliver housing in the right places to support military operations and reducing the number of homes that lie empty.

This model, together with improvements in data management on the condition and status of our homes and a comprehensive examination of demand, supply and estate laydown by area, will ensure that housing is provided in the locations it is required and that the number of empty homes is reduced.