‘Embarrassed’ MoD is accused of ‘mendacity’ about navy properties scandal

A disagreement erupted in parliament after the Ministry of Defence of was accused of mendacity about Britain’s navy’s housing scandal to spare itself ’embarrassment’.

In a bruising encounter within the Commons, ex-Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois claimed defence officers in Whitehall had intentionally misled MPs over the ‘security’ of troops dwelling in navy quarters. 

The Tory MP accused bureaucrats of giving ‘duff’ and ‘inaccurate’ figures to defence minister James Cartlidge in June 2023 about what number of troopers had been staying in properties that had been doubtlessly unsafe attributable to delayed fuel security checks.

Speaking at a Defence Committee listening to, Mr Francois stated the MoD was ’embarrassed’ by the ‘media pounding’ it had been getting over the state of armed forces properties that it ‘did not need the reality’ about what number of households may be in danger. 

The allegation was swiftly denied by Mr Cartlidge, who insisted it was a ‘mistake’ and that he had ‘no proof to consider’ something ‘nefarious’ was taking place on the MoD. 

But a fired-up Mr Francois hit out again, telling MPs: ‘Well I put it to you Mr minister that there have been some officers both within the division and or the DIO who had been so embarrassed by the media pounding they had been getting – fairly rightly – that they wrote a letter which performed down the extent of the issue, which you then needed to write and proper two and a half weeks later.

‘You do not need to be probably the most cynical man on God’s earth to consider that somebody within the bowels of the organisation gave you duff info as a result of they did not need the reality at the moment to emerge.’

The parliamentary committee heard that in an handle on June 21 final yr, Mr Cartlidge was questioned in regards to the situation because the story was ‘working scorching within the media’ on the time, with the minister vowing to reply in a letter.

This letter arrived on July 31, Mr Francois stated, the place the minister ‘assured us there have been no fuel security certificates that had been longer than six month old-fashioned’. 

But, simply weeks in a while August 17, the minister wrote again to ‘appropriate’ his personal letter, informing MPs there have been in reality 29 properties whose fuel checks had been greater than a yr old-fashioned. 

Mr Francois added: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, no-one who is aware of you is suggesting for a nanosecond that you just intentionally misled a parliament committee. Let’s cease any hares working there.

‘But anyone did. Somebody gave you a letter that you just signed in good religion, with a bunch of statistics which turned out to be fully inaccurate, in regards to the security of our armed forces personnel and their family members.’

Mr Cartlidge, who’s accountable for defence procurement, insisted an ‘error’ had been made however claimed that there was a giant distinction between this and a deliberate effort to ‘mislead’ a parliamentary committee, which he believed had not occurred.

Blaming a pc system for the obvious error, Mr Cartlidge added: ‘If I assumed what you had been saying is appropriate, I’d be completely mortified. [But] I do not consider that’s the case. I believe there was an error in offering me with these statistics.

‘What I can say is the primary time I used to be requested by the committee in regards to the problems with fuel certificates I used to be as open as I may very well be about all of the statistics at the moment. 

He added: ‘I’m reliant on the statistics I’m given and, as you say, taking them in good religion, which I do. I consider they had been produced in good religion and an error was made and on the earliest alternative this was corrected.’

The state of affairs comes after the MoD paused new plans to allocate navy housing primarily based on household measurement reasonably than rank after a backlash from military households.

The controversial proposals affecting Army, Navy and Royal Air Force personnel had been halted amid fears that officers would resign, although the MoD is claimed to stay assured {that a} new launch date might be accredited.

The customary of navy housing is at present decided by rank. However, the Modernised Accommodation Offer (MAO) proposes allocating properties by household measurement.

It might imply {that a} married main with no kids could be downgraded from a 3 or four-bedroom home to a two-bedroom, whereas a married personal with three kids could be entitled to a bigger home than the key.

The plan, which was set to be launched in March, attracted criticism from officers and their companions, who argued the coverage would result in a breakdown in navy cohesion by undermining hierarchical constructions and penalising those that are infertile or select to not have kids.

In response, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps halted the plans and has since ordered a assessment into the MAO.

Mr Francois described the pause as a ‘welcome victory for widespread sense, over paperwork’.

He added: ‘The proposals would have undermined morale, significantly amongst junior officers and thus the cohesion of the Army, so ministers had been fairly proper to intervene and reverse them.’

Rosie Bucknall, the spouse of an Army captain and a vocal campaigner towards MAO, stated: ‘This improvement is precisely what we have now been hoping for.

‘We are thrilled the Defence Secretary has stepped in to use widespread sense to such a drastic change and signify the pursuits of the individuals for whom he’s accountable.’

A petition calling for a assessment of the MoD’s lodging provide had acquired 19,900 signatures as of February 27. Many navy wives had been on this afternoon’s Defence Committee listening to.

Mrs Bucknall beforehand submitted written proof to the Defence Committee on the social contract which sees officers commerce lengthy working hours, absence from household, unpredictable relocations and danger to life, for housing and training.

She wrote: ‘The “offer”, as these serving name it, has been persistently degraded over latest a long time, with salaries and boarding training allowance now a fraction of what they was,’ she stated, including: ‘Now they’re dismantling our entry to respectable housing.’

Mrs Bucknall described the plans as an ‘utter betrayal’, including: ‘If rolled out as deliberate, it’s abundantly clear this lodging coverage will solely harm additional the trusted relationship between Army officers and the establishment they serve.

‘The delicate social contract upon which the Army is balanced could also be damaged irretrievably if (MAO) will not be reconsidered.’

Some 792 Army officers left the service within the final quarter, in contrast with a typical price of 450 to 550.

For those that have left, probably the most often cited purpose was ‘impression on household and private life’, in keeping with a 2023 survey carried out by the MoD.

More than 300 officers took half in a social media survey, of which 78% stated they might be ready to depart the armed forces if their lodging entitlement had been to be decreased.

The MoD stays optimistic that the plans could be accredited after suggestions had been taken on board.

Its spokesperson stated: ‘Our Armed Forces personnel make extraordinary sacrifices to guard our nation, which is why our Modernised Accommodation Offer offers higher flexibility, backed by an additional £200 million funding.

‘This is on high of £4 billion to improve lodging and construct new dwelling quarters for our service personnel over the subsequent decade.

‘Based on suggestions from service personnel, the MAO will enhance the usual of Single Living Accommodation, assist navy personnel get on the housing ladder by refunding as much as £1,500 of bills and provides personnel extra choice in how they stay.

‘We are dedicated to widening entitlement to these in established long-term relationships and fogeys with non-resident kids, however we have now listened to suggestions and are due to this fact pausing the rollout of the weather of the coverage associated to SFA (Service Family Accommodation), together with the transfer to wants primarily based allocation and within the quick time period the widening of entitlement.’

The matter is anticipated to be mentioned at a Defence Committee listening to on service lodging on Tuesday afternoon.