Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Non-Afl)

My Lords, this is one of those moments when it would be very easy to remain firmly in my seat. I declare my interest as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets), and I therefore find myself something of a piggy in the middle of this debate, working as I do for the Government in that role. I have sought advice about speaking in this debate, and I do so strictly in a personal capacity. I am slightly worried about the very binary nature of this debate, and I sense that there are things that could perhaps be done to reassure the House. I should also declare specifically that, if this non-departmental public body is created, I will be the Ministry of Defence representative on that body, albeit ex officio, unpaid and with no voting rights. None the less, this is not a competition for who can be the greatest advocate for the RFCAs. I am certainly in among them, and they have done tremendous work for many years. We must, as the Sullivan, PAC and NAO reports say, do everything we can to maintain that goodness. It cannot be an attack on them. In many ways, I am frustrated that we are focusing on the organisation right now, at the most crucial time, as Article 3 becomes ever more important than homeland defence. Rather than focusing on what future role the RFCAs can play in the defence of our realm and, through their local links, in generating wider awareness in society as to how much more could be done and the vital role that they can play, we are instead getting ourselves wrapped around our handles slightly through a technical change in their approach. I do not see this as simply wiping away the regional nature of the RFCAs. There are absolutely technical matters that need to be resolved over representation. I understand the calls for voting rights, which will be discussed later, and indeed whether or not members should be paid, and that can all be discussed in detail. However, I recognise that there are elements in the Bill that pose questions which have yet to be answered. As piggy in the middle and, I hope, someone who can draw the House together, I fully recognise the need now to implement the SDR recommendations to increase the size of the reserves by 20% when financial conditions allow. When it comes to cadets, a key element that our RFCAs deliver but which none the less has not really been mentioned much in this debate is the vital role of continuing to expand the cadets. These are all things that I see RFCAs doing and continuing to be enabled to do in future at a regional level. However, we have to recognise that in successive reports there have been criticisms over governance, recommendations for legal change and challenges about the relationship between those two—criticisms as much of the Ministry of Defence as of the RFCAs, let us be clear about that—particularly when it comes to financial matters. I think there is a strong argument, but what I have not heard in this debate is what the proposed suggestions are—if we do not go down the NDPB route—for strengthening that financial relationship. It is public money, at the end of the day. What are the suggestions for changing the legal relationship between the MoD and RFCAs? I have not heard alternative suggestions, but perhaps we can explore that in the future.