Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that community and school cadet expansion plans (a) do not conflict and (b) maximise (i) coverage and (ii) the use of resources.

The recently published Strategic Defence Review recommended an expansion of in-school and community-based Cadet Forces across the country by 30% by 2030. Planning for this is underway with further detail to follow and as we move forward, we will ensure that our activities yield maximum gain.

This Government is firmly convinced of the fantastic benefits of the cadet experience, and we are keen to make these available to more young people. We know from independent research that each year, participation in the Cadet Forces produces a return on investment in the region of £120 million in terms of health and wellbeing, and an estimated lifetime value of the vocational qualifications gained by the most disadvantaged cadets of well over £130 million.