Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Cadet Expansion Programme

18 March 2024 · 1 other contributor

Opened by James Sunderland Con Bracknell

Defence

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

James Sunderland raised concerns about cadet expansion programme in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • The MP praised the Army Cadet Forces for the positive impact on his youth and the development of leadership skills and better attendance in students.
  • The Combined Cadet Force operates in over 260 schools in the UK, supported by Ministry of Defence funding and activities.
  • The Minister acknowledged the success of the Cadet Expansion Programme, noting the establishment of 500 CCF units by November 2019 with 50 million in funding.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

James Sunderland Con Bracknell

The MP emphasised the importance of cadets in his youth and the value they add to young people's lives, mentioning his personal experience with Army Cadet Forces. He highlighted the five types of Ministry of Defence sponsored cadet forces and their activities, focusing on the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) which exists in over 260 schools across the UK. He praised the benefits for students in attending CCFs such as leadership skills development and improved attendance rates. Mr Sunderland called for increased investment to expand opportunities, better infrastructure for cadets, financial incentives for volunteers, more equipment and training with regular forces, and closer tie-ups between cadet units and military branches.

Other contributors (1)
  • Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli

    Nia Griffith praised the work of the Cadets in Northern Ireland for bringing together Catholic and Protestant children and emphasised the importance of such programmes for cohesion.

Government Response

Andrew Murrison

The Minister acknowledged the positive impact of cadet programmes on young people, praising their role in character building and community engagement. He highlighted the success of the Cadet Expansion Programme which saw an early achievement of establishing 100 new CCF units by March 2015, with further expansion to 500 units across the UK by November 2019 through £50 million funding from LIBOR fines. Despite challenges posed by the pandemic and changes in school priorities, cadet numbers increased by 15% since April 2020 to over 54,000. The Minister emphasised that schools considered their cadet units as good investments, improving participants' resilience and providing excellent value for money. He pledged support for continued growth of the programme aiming towards reaching a target of 60,000 cadets in school units by April 2024.

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