Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the external scrutiny team of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations will remain independent of the Ministry of Defence if the Council of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations is converted into a non-departmental public body.

Defence Ministers are very grateful for the hard work of the External Scrutiny Team (EST). Alistair Carns DSO MC OBE, Minister for Veterans and People, expressed this sentiment on 17 December 2024, when he placed a copy in the Library of the House of the EST’s Annual Statutory Report 2024 on the health of the Reserve Forces.

Defence is clear that the EST is indeed independent, since it directs its own business, and we would aim to ensure that this independence is maintained if the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations are converted into a Non-Departmental Public Body.