Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which independent schools receive funds from his Department to support cadet forces; how much each of those schools received in 2015-16; and how much each of those schools will received in 2016-17.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) supports cadet units in independent and state schools in a number of ways, including the provision of uniforms, weapons and equipment and ration packs. Specific examples are detailed below:

• Schools usually employ a School Staff Instructor (SSI) to help manage and administer the cadet unit. SSIs can claim 51 days of Volunteer Allowance per year from the MOD, with the school paying for any additional days they need.
• The MOD also provides a ‘Consolidated Grant’ to each Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingent. The amount varies, but for 2016-17 the allocation was £513 per CCF, plus £20 per cadet.

Please note that while such items and support are provided by the MOD the funding is not provided directly from the MOD to schools. In the examples highlighted above the funding is paid directly to the individual or the CCF.

The only funding which goes direct to schools is through the Cadet Bursary Fund (CBF). The CBF is available to state schools which have opened cadet units under the joint MOD/Department for Education (DfE) Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP). The CBF was set up by the DfE and is managed by a registered charity, the Combined Cadet Force Association. However, the funding for the CBF is not provided from the budget of either Department.