Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to improve the delivery rate of the Ajax armoured vehicle programme.

As a result of revised contractual terms with MOD, General Dynamics UK have introduced a number of measures designed to improve the delivery rate. These measures include:

- Extending the current shift patterns and building contingency throughout the production schedule;

- Optimising the build line to balance activity and recruitment of additional resource to anticipate potential pinch points in the schedule; and

- An increase in collaborative practices, such as the introduction of joint acceptance, to reduce overall timelines.