Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to promote membership of the Cadets programme for young people.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) actively supports and promotes membership of the Cadet Forces, and we are keen to attract more cadets. The MOD sponsors five Cadet Forces which offer young people fantastic opportunities to develop key skills which independent research has found can literally be life changing.
The Cadet Forces are active on social media with regular posts often generated at local level by individual units. These can be accessed on a range of popular platforms including Facebook and Instagram and further information about local units and how to join is also available on the Cadet Forces’ websites.
In addition, the Cadet Force headquarters run national or regional marketing campaigns to encourage young people to join the Cadets by showcasing the benefits for personal development, adventure, friendship and fun. A recent example of this is the ‘Be More with the Army Cadets!’ national recruitment campaign which was launched in August 2024.
Beyond national and local level recruitment and awareness campaigns and activities, the MOD publicises Cadets through specific events – for example the cadet engagement event held at Frimley Cadet Training Centre in April.
We continue to invest significantly in the Cadet Forces with independent research showing that the cost of Cadets is fully covered if the life outcomes of just 1% of cadets change each year so that they are in education, training, or employment.
We want more young people to benefit from the Cadet experience, and we are currently undertaking a review – closely aligned with the wider Strategic Defence Review – to determine how we can grow the size and the offer of the Cadet Forces.
Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to use the increase in defence spending to boost British supply chains; and what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure strategic alignment and capitalise on economies of scale in key sectors.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The additional investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 and by the Chancellor in the 2025 Spring Statement will both protect UK citizens from threats and create a secure and stable environment in which businesses can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth. This includes maximising jobs, growth, skills and innovation in the UK.
This Government is bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy that will ensure a strong Defence sector and resilient supply chains across the whole of the UK. The Statement of Intent for the Defence Industrial Strategy, published in December 2024, set out a commitment to prioritising UK businesses for investment and boosting sovereign capacity.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working closely with other Government Departments to align strategic objectives in key sectors, for example through the wider cross-Government Industrial Strategy. The Strategic Defence Review will also determine the roles and capabilities required by UK Defence to meet the challenges and threats of the twenty-first century.
The MOD is already actively improving the capabilities of the UK’s Defence sector and supply chains through initiatives such as the Defence Supplier Capability Development Programme and the new support hub for small and medium enterprises that the Prime Minister announced on 3 March 2025.
Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to recruit more neurodiverse graduates into the armed forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In a competitive age, our advantage derives from the talent and skills of our people. Attracting, recruiting, and retaining the best people drawn from the broadest diversity of thought, skills and background is mission critical to our operational effectiveness. It ensures we continue to meet the threats we face and safeguard the security, stability and prosperity of our nation. Diversity drives performance, innovation, increases creative thinking and reduces the risks of group think and lack of challenge, as highlighted in the Chilcot Review.
This Government has already begun to modernise and refine our policies and processes to attract, and then retain the best possible talent in our Armed Forces. Defence is committed to a diverse workforce, including in neurodiversity. The Defence Secretary has undertaken to review the current recruitment policies and has already announced several changes to prior outdated approaches, including medical entry standards relating to neurodiverse conditions. For example, candidates with Autism Spectrum Disorder can now join the Armed Forces, providing their symptoms have no significant impact and do not require ongoing specialist support.