Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the external scrutiny team of the Council of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations will be equally independent of the Ministry of Defence if the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations are converted into a non-departmental public body.

Defence Ministers greatly value the independent reports produced by the External Scrutiny Team (EST). The future of the EST will likely be a topic for discussion once the new Armed Forces Commissioner is appointed. We would seek to retain the independence of the EST if there are any changes to the extant arrangements.