Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted
Department welcomes Strategic Defence Review ambition for significant cadet force expansion by 2030.
Recommendation
As of 1 April 2024, there were approximately 3,500 cadet units across the UK and 139,960 cadets. Of these, 88,600 cadets were in community units, supported by 22,340 adult volunteers, and 51,360 in the school- based Combined Cadet Force, supported by 4,320 adult volunteers. The Department welcomed the ambition set out in the SDR to expand the cadet forces by 30% by 2030, with an ambition to reach 250,000 in the longer term, and told us that it did not believe that this proposed expansion posed a significant risk to other youth organisations such as the Scouts 10 Qq 2, 4, 15, 43 and 44 11 Q 49; C&AG’s Report, para 16 12 Qq 46, 47 and 48 13 Q 8; C&AG’s Report, para 1.2; Written answer 28 January 2025, UIN 26238 10 and Guides.14 The Department said in a letter following our evidence session that those organisations have much greater age ranges, are more accessible because of their greater presence across the UK and have a different appeal to the cadet forces.15
Government Response Summary
The Department will develop a plan by June 2026 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.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
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