Honiton and Sidmouth MP Richard Foord has asked the government whether a £1.1 million funding cut for cadet forces across the country will be replaced.
Honiton and Sidmouth MP Richard Foord has asked the government whether a £1.1 million funding cut for cadet forces across the country will be replaced.
Liberal Democrat Mr Foord has questioned whether the Ministry of Defence would “backfill or make good” on cash the Department for Education (DfE) said it would no longer provide.
Residents have written to him with concerns about the scrapping of the funding.
“I received some correspondence from John McMillan from Sidmouth,” Mr Foord said.
“He and his two brothers joined the Air Training Corps (ATC) in the 1970s, and two of them went on to serve with the Royal Air Force and John himself went on to become a commercial pilot with British Airways, despite there being no previous connection to aviation whatever in his family.”
Speaking in parliament, Mr Foord asked veterans minister Alistair Carns whether he can “recognise the value of the cadets to social mobility and providing opportunities”.
Mr Carns said he had spoken with the DfE about how the government could ensure opportunities for cadet forces remain.
“That is definitely at the forefront of my mind, and it is included in the broader wrap of defence spending that will be pushed out in due course, after the strategic defence review,” he said.
“To summarise, by providing as many opportunities as possible, we can support youngsters throughout the UK whose lives are enriched by choosing to join the cadets.
“It is a spend-to-save model, which, at a time of societal and geopolitical uncertainty, helps us to do our part by building community coherence and reconnecting Britain with its armed forces.”
There are more than 1,000 ATC squadrons across the UK and overseas, providing opportunities for over 40,000 young people and 10,000 adult volunteers, according to the RAF.
Furthermore, there are more than 500 combined cadet forces based in secondary schools.
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