Armed Forces Bill

Debate between Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton and Lord Harlech

Committee stage
Tuesday 8th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Non-Afl)]

Since my noble friend is a bit gloomy, I would like to cheer him up slightly. The answer to the question, “What does the reserve service give to employers?” is, “Actually, quite a lot”. To answer the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, one of the things that defence is doing in a common skills framework is trying to ensure that, for the skills you learn in defence, both civilian qualifications will be recognised and the skills you get in defence can be transferred to civilian qualifications. Rather than having two parallel systems, there is an equal recognition so that there is mutual benefit for both employers and defence when it comes to training.

[Lord Harlech (Con)]

I am grateful to my noble friend for that intervention and for setting out this equivalence of the defence skills passport, which is much needed and long overdue and will be incredibly helpful. We must get better at explaining to employers the value of employing reservists and why it is good that they go to train. They will maybe go to do a course in leadership and management. They will come back upskilled, happy and motivated, and they will spread their good will and new skills throughout the rest of the civilian employer.

I just leave the Committee with this: how can it be that our Five Eyes counterparts do what I am suggesting and more—much more in some cases—and we do not? Do we think that that is the right or wrong way around? It is to be continued. With that, I beg leave to withdraw—for now.