Cadet funding

I read with pleasure that the Scottish Parliament debated a motion congratulating the Armed Forces Cadet (AFC) Movement on achieving its 150th anniversary and recognised its invaluable contribution to youth development and education, producing self-confident, responsible citizens, team-workers and leaders.

Contributors spoke highly of the Sea Cadet Corps, the Army Cadet Force (ACF), the Air Training Corps (ATC) and the Schools' Combined Cadet Forces (SCDF), but there was concern that the 4 million cut in the ACF budget would have a detrimental effect on its training activities.

There is no doubting the value of the cadet organisations to the country, but the report made no mention of the fundamental difference in the source of Sea Cadet Corps funding. Unlike the ACF and ATC, which are fully MoD funded, Sea Cadets, while sponsored jointly by The Marine Society & Sea Cadets and the Royal Navy, are charitable organisations. About half of the 17 million-plus annual cost comes from the Royal Navy. The rest has to be raised from charitable resources. This results in a disproportionate time having to be spent fundraising by units, rather than the mainstream activity for which the cadets joined.

Aside from the current pressures on defence spending, national and local governments need to seek additional sources of financial support, notably the youth budget, to reinforce their stated approval of the movement.

In Scotland youth is a devolved issue, and such a contribution should not be too difficult to arrange. A shared contribution between Holyrood, and local councils for the units in their bailiwicks, would go far to assist the 38 Sea Cadet units and more than 1000 sea cadets in Scotland, while in terms of actual outlay by each body it would be little more than petty cash.

It would certainly be a small fraction of the current cost of youth crime and correction.

CHRISTOPHER J P HALL (CAPT RNR RTD)

Chairman, Sea Cadet Association in Scotland