Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, under what circumstances an individual would be issued the Peltor ComTac XP/XPI Ear defenders over the Peltor General Service Ear Muffs.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 March 2025 to Question 34362 which explained that due to the varying nature of environments and tasks that require a form of ear protection, Service personnel (SP) are issued with ear protection that has been assessed as the most appropriate for the situation.

The Peltor General Service Ear Muff offers a more basic level of protection and are typically used for activities that do not require movement or communication, such as static Live Fire Marksmanship Training or in engineering workshops.

The Peltor ComTac XP/XPI provides a greater level of hearing protection and enhanced situational awareness through the use of an active electronic system. They provide SP with hearing protection that does not need to be removed to communicate or move, as when conducting Transition to Tactical Live Fire Training or Live Fire Tactical Training. They can also be used for the same activities as the Peltor General Service Ear Muff.