Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what amount of financial savings the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army, and (c) Royal Air Force have been asked to make in financial years (i) 2025-26 and (ii) 2026-27.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to him in response to his Question 93654 of 24 November 2025.

The Ministry of Defence applies in-year controls across the Department to manage performance against the Defence budget and these controls are subject to continuous review.

This approach is part of normal good financial management and ensures that resources are allocated effectively to meet operational priorities.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where were the Army's MAN Logistic Support Vehicle built; and what is the age of the vehicles.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The vehicles were manufactured under the responsibility of MAN Truck & Bus UK (MTB UK). The base was produced at MAN’s facilities in Germany and Austria, with UK-specific modifications integrated by MTB UK and specialist subcontractors within the UK. The age of the vehicles is approximately 18 years, entering service in 2007/8.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his estimate is for carrying out the necessary repairs for the fleet of MAN Logistic Support Vehicles; and how long will it be before the whole fleet is back in service.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Repair analysis is ongoing; however, initial estimates indicate that all vehicles will be returned to full use by early 2026 in accordance with formation priorities.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost in (a) time and (b) resource to (i) the Army and (ii) his Department of dealing with problems with the Ajax vehicle.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

On 22 November, during a routine training exercise, around 30 soldiers operating in Ajax reported being affected by noise and vibration exposure.

Out of an abundance of caution, and in line with our safety protocols, the exercise was halted within 30 minutes so that those affected could receive appropriate medical care.

Importantly, none of the symptoms were severe enough to require hospitalisation.

As a result, I directed the Army to pause all use of Ajax for training and exercising, while a safety investigation is carried out into the events. Those investigations are ongoing and I will update the House at an appropriate point.

Furthermore, I am putting in place a Ministerial led review into the Ajax programme, which will assess how effective the department has been at implementing the actions of previous reviews, and seeking anything further that is required regarding safety.

It will be conducted by experts who are not part of the AJAX programme, including Malcolm Chalmers, to provide a more independent view. It will be overseen by me and report to the Defence Secretary.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, What times scale he has been given for the noise and vibration issues with the Ajax vehicle to be resolved.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

On 22 November, during a routine training exercise, around 30 soldiers operating in Ajax reported being affected by noise and vibration exposure.

As a result, I directed the Army to pause all use of Ajax for training and exercising, while a safety investigation is carried out into the events. Those investigations are ongoing and I will update the House at an appropriate point.

I am putting in place a Ministerial led review into the Ajax programme, which will assess how effective the Department has been at implementing the actions of previous reviews, and seeking anything further that is required regarding safety.

It will be conducted by experts who are not part of the AJAX programme, including Malcolm Chalmers, to provide a more independent view. It will be overseen by me and report to the Defence Secretary. It will be conducted at pace, but it will not be rushed. We will have the Terms of Reference before Christmas.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the underspend and overspend was for (a) Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit and (b) Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit for the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Army and (iii) RAF as at 1 November 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Following Defence Reform, the Capital and Resource Expenditure Limits for the front line commands are managed across the Military Strategic Headquarters instead of individually.

The Ministry of Defence applies controls and routine financial management to ensure resources are allocated effectively to meet operational priorities. As such, financial data for the Military Strategic Headquarters will be available in the 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts in the usual way.

As the public would rightly expect, this Government is committed to securing value for money for taxpayers.

Found: Slaughter (Labour; Hammersmith and Chiswick) Emily Thornberry (Labour; Islington South and Finsbury) Derek Twigg

Found: Q67 Derek Twigg: What are you using this money for?

Found: (Labour; Hammersmith and Chiswick) Dame Emily Thornberry (Labour; Islington South and Finsbury) Derek Twigg

Found: Q219 Derek Twigg: You are on record saying that the problems are solved.