Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 17
43rd Report - MoD’s oversight of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations
Published 5 Sep 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee MoD’s oversight of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Department said that the challenge is to balance the need for a professional and effective national organisation that can be held to account, with the ability to leverage the membership’s volunteer spirit. It said that there was an ongoing conversation with the RFCAs around 20 Qq 17 and 18 21 Q 53 22 Qq 54 and 55; Letter from Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Reserves and Cadets, 27 June 2025 23 Q 2; C&AG’s Report, paras 1.15 and 1.18 24 Qq 3 and 11 12 how to develop bespoke structures which will make the organisation as effective and efficient as possible while maximising local membership and preserving, enhancing and supporting the RFCAs’ volunteer work and their insights and expertise.25 The Council explained that reserves and cadets join to serve locally, and central coordination needs to be combined with local implementation by people who understand their local environments. The Council said that it did not believe that much will change for those carrying out the work within the RFCAs at a local level, but that the formalised structure would improve coherence and coordination. It thought that the move to an NDPB would bring the benefits of central direction while maintaining the local knowledge of those who do the work.26 25 Qq 3, 6 and 11 26 Q 12 13 2 Risks and limitations of the current RFCA model The Ministry of Defence’s current oversight of the RFCAs
From: Public Accounts Committee, 43rd Report - MoD’s oversight of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (HC 893), 5 September 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-third Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 5 November 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-third report from Session 2024-26
Published 19 January 2026.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with most of the Committee's recommendations on the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations, with target dates mainly of March or June 2026, and disagrees with one on publishing the 2023-24 accounts.
- On the Reserves, it agrees to set out its plan by March 2026 and says it will provide updates on progress as requested; it plans legislative measures in the next Armed Forces Bill to increase Active Reserves towards the 20% target, "when the financial situation allows".
- On Cadets, it agrees to a plan by June 2026 and says development of a programme plan for growth in Cadet numbers is "well underway", including work on adult volunteers and safeguarding capacity.
- On the proposed NDPB, it agrees to update the Committee by March 2026 and says the proposal "remains one of the measures being developed for potential inclusion in the 2026 Armed Forces Bill".
- It disagrees with the recommendation to publish the 2023-24 accounts in a compliant format, saying it is working to lay the 2023-24 and 2024-25 accounts "as planned in 2025-26" and acknowledging that "certain areas are not currently compliant with the FReM".