In three years, the Danish Working Environment Authority has given the Ministry of Defence over 100 orders, several of which are immediate orders.
The State Auditors are sharply criticizing the Ministry of Defense because buildings are not adequately maintained.
The State Auditors wrote this in a statement on Monday.
“The Ministry of Defense does not have an overview of the condition of many of its buildings, the ministry does not have a long-term plan for maintenance and has not used all the funds they have available for maintenance,” the criticism reads.
These circumstances have led the State Auditors to express sharp criticism of the Ministry of Defense.
Among other things, mold has been found in living areas and poorly functioning sewage, toilet and bathroom facilities.
In three years, the Danish Working Environment Authority has given the Ministry of Defence over 100 orders, of which a third are immediate orders, it appears.
Currently, new and large amounts of billions are being allocated to the Armed Forces time and again.
But so far, not even all the money allocated has been spent, the audit finds.
Only make plans for one year at a time
From 2018-2023, 2.6 billion kroner was allocated for the maintenance of the Ministry of Defense’s buildings. However, only 1.8 billion kroner has been spent.
“The actual consumption was thus almost 800 million kroner lower than what was allocated in the Finance Act,” writes the audit.
It also appears that the Ministry of Defense only makes plans for building maintenance for one year at a time, even though for the last 13 years the goal has been to have a plan that runs over 10 years:
“At the same time, the majority of the planned maintenance tasks in the 1-year plan will not be carried out.”
Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V) acknowledges the criticism, and there is a ‘clear backlog’.
“As is the case in a number of other areas in the Ministry of Defense, the maintenance of buildings has unfortunately also been inadequate for a number of years,” he says in a press release.
To rectify this, efforts have been initiated so that building inspections can be carried out on time and so that planning of renovations becomes multi-year.
Both last year and this year, funds and emergency packages have also been provided to handle the most critical problems and improvements at the Armed Forces’ locations.
“It is my clear opinion that the Armed Forces now have the opportunity to plan building maintenance more thoroughly, sustainably and long-term in the future,” says Troels Lund Poulsen.
ritzau
