Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 11294 on Armed Forces: Cadets, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the ending of the additional SSI grant on the long term sustainability of school cadet forces.

The development and sustainability of school cadet units depends on a range of factors including senior leadership team support and the ability to attract and retain adult volunteers to manage and deliver cadet activities.

Our commitment to supporting the school-based Combined Cadet Force and the Cadet Expansion Programme in schools remains unchanged. We are very aware of the benefits that cadet activity brings to the young people themselves and of the positive contribution that having a cadet unit makes to schools.

Therefore, we continue to invest £3.6 million per year in the programme so that more young people can enjoy the benefits of the cadet experience, but I have also directed that a review be undertaken to ascertain how we can deliver more cadet activity both in schools and in the wider community settings. The role and support to the SSI will figure in this review.