§ Sir John Farrasked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to establish an Army Cadet Corps unit in Leicester and in other inner city areas.
§ Mr. Freeman[pursuant to his reply, 13 July 1987, c. 346]: The Army Cadet Force (ACF), which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1985, is a voluntary youth organisation sponsored by the Army. Its current membership is 43,500 cadets deployed in 1,650 detachments throughout Britain.
The Government attach great value to this force. Participation in both the military and community activities of the ACF engenders good citizenship, a spirit of service to Queen and country and a high degree of self-discipline. While the ACF is not part of either the Regular Army or the Territorial Army and membership carries no obligation to join the armed forces, a high proportion of cadets choose to pursue a career in the services. For instance, some 25 per cent. of the Regular Army intake in the period 1 April 1986 to 31 March 1987 had been members of the ACF.
677WThe Ministry of Defence is examining the possibility of expanding the ACF in a number of inner city areas. Twenty existing detachments located within such areas are considered to be capable of expansion, and a number of other areas have been identified where new detachments might be formed. Some expansion is already being undertaken where this is possible at no or very low cost, including the expansion of one of the six existing detachments in Leicester, and its move into the TA centre in Brentwood road. Any substantial increase in the ACF would, however, depend on the availability of funds.