Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has made with officials and ministerial colleagues about the possibility of a civilian volunteer reserve, supported with non-military training.

The 2025 Strategic Defence Review makes clear the importance of a whole-of-society approach to the UK’s security and resilience. The Cabinet Office led Home Defence Programme is undertaking a range of home defence planning across government, including efforts to ensure alignment between military and civilian effort in a period of international hostilities affecting the UK.