40% of Service Family Accomodation is Sub-Standard

In March 2007, the National Audit Office published a report entitled "Managing the Defence Estate: Quality and Sustainability" which stated that over 40% of Service Family accomodation was below Standard 1, i.e. was of substandard quality (see page 14 of the report, which can be found at http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/06-07/0607154.pdf)

A short while later, the MOD claimed that AWOL cases since 2003 were possibly not due to disallusionment with the Iraq War, or mental health issues, but that "Anecdotal evidence suggests that most AWOL is caused by soldiers’ domestic circumstances, e.g. family problems, rather than wishing to avoid military service." (see http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/DefenceNewsDailyarchiveSaturday17March2007ToFriday30March2007.htm)

Perhaps if some of the massive investment the UK has made in fighting unjust wars (and proposes to spend on an unneeded Trident system) was spent on housing our troops we'd have a more effective fighting force.