Helen Maguire

Helen Maguire

Liberal Democrat — Epsom and Ewell

Speaking in the House of Commons on 8 September 2025

Debate

Armed Forces: Recruitment and Retention

Contribution

I congratulate the hon. Member for North East Derbyshire (Louise Sandher-Jones)—a fellow female veteran—and the hon. Member for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard) on their new appointments. Reserve forces are a vital component of the British Army, and I welcomed the Government’s commitment to increasing their number by at least 20%, but the lack of a clear timeline, plan and funding is not good enough. The Public Accounts Committee agreed with that in its report, and revealed that many training sites are in the wrong locations and that their condition has declined. Good training sites in the right locations are vital to increasing our reserves. Will the Government today give a firm timeline for completing the estate optimisation programme and securing funding for the next stages?

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