Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Deferred
Cadet forces develop youth, enhance social mobility, and demonstrate cost-effective societal impact.
Conclusion
Cadet forces are made up of young people typically aged from 12 to 18 and provide them with interesting and challenging activities and life skills. The Department said that the cadets help to develop the nation’s youth, enhance social mobility and give confidence and structure to the most disadvantaged. The Minister for Veterans and People has told Parliament that the annual cost of the cadet forces is covered if just 1% of cadets change their life outcomes each year, so that they take part in education, training, or gain employment.13
Government Response Summary
The Government refers to recommendation 2a. PAC recommendation which is the same as the one given for ID 4029.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
2. PAC conclusion: The Government’s plans to increase the number of Cadets by 30% by 2030 face several significant barriers. 2a. PAC recommendation: The Department should develop a plan by June 2026 (one year after the publication of the SDR) for increasing the number of Cadets which sets out how it will: • ensure that young people from different backgrounds and all parts of the UK can join; • address barriers to expansion such as the number of adult volunteers; and • maintain robust safeguarding arrangements for the enlarged Cadet forces. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2026 2.2 The development of a programme plan for the growth in Cadet numbers is well underway. This process is being taken forward through regular meetings of the Heads of the individual Cadet Forces. A Director level Senior Responsible Officer has been appointed, and governance arrangements are evolving in light of Defence Reform. 2.3 Work is in train within the department, based on the current laydown of the Cadet forces across the UK, to determine the key target areas for growth, taking into account demographic changes and indices of deprivation. 2.4 A priority for the programme is to attract and retain sufficient numbers of suitable adult volunteers to deliver the Cadet experience. Early work includes the launch of an attitude survey of current volunteers to help in determining appropriate actions to improve the volunteer ‘proposition’. 2.5 Work is being taken forward with Cadet safeguarding hubs to assess the need for increased capacity to manage the impact of Cadet growth (noting that a proportion of incidents 3 are in relation to safeguarding issues that take place outside Cadets but are reported to the Department as it is deemed by many young people to be a safe place). 2.6 The department will provide updates on progress as requested by the Committee. 2b. PAC recommendation: The Department should also set out how it will report on its progress, including regional breakdowns for the number of Cadets, units and adult volunteers in the community Cadets and Combined Cadet Force (including by type of school). 2.7 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2026 2.8 Annual Cadet statistics published on GOV.UK include numbers of Cadets and adult volunteers by Cadet Force, gender, and age. Defence Statistics produce data on numbers of units and regional breakdowns. The joint MOD/Department of Education (DfE) Cadet Expansion Project provides data on Combined Cadet Force units by region and type of school.