Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many hearing loss cases are pending with the Davies Group.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence (MOD) Claims statistics are published annually. The next MOD common law compensation claims statistics will be published this summer.
Previously published Annual reports can be found at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-compensation-claims-statistics
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what performance metrics the Davies Group are held to; and how frequently those metrics are evaluated.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Davies Group claims management contract requires Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to be reported quarterly. These reports are supplemented by regular fortnightly progress and performance meetings between Ministry of Defence officials and the Davies Group to discuss aspects of contract delivery and formulation of strategies for dealing with claims including the extremely high volumes of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to provide the costs of Hearing Loss Claims in last 5 years to the MOD, including damages, costs and costs per case.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Statistics on the number of common law compensation claims and financial settlements including Noise-Induced Hearing Loss are published annually at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-compensation-claims-statistics
The next report will be published this summer, covering financial year 24-25, however it would be disproportionate to calculate the costs per case.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Davies Group is tracking and reporting costs associated with delays in case progression.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Davies Group provide regular statistics and other information to support the management of Ministry of Defence (MOD) claims. Both the MOD and Davies Group have increased resources to manage the unprecedented high volume of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to outline the average turnaround time for resolution in Hearing Loss Cases in each of the four regions of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It is not possible to outline the average turnaround time for the resolution of Hearing Loss claims in each of the four nations of the United Kingdom.
This information is not currently held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost as it would require extensive research across the claims handlers and litigation services providers who manage claims in the various jurisdictions across the UK.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to detail the longest outstanding case with the MOD/Davies group relating to Hearing Loss.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The oldest open Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claim dates back to 30 June 2016. This claim was left inactive by the claimant’s legal representative, until a new firm of solicitors reissued the claim on 8 May 2025.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to conduct a further assessment of potential site disposal across his Department.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On 27 March 2025, the Government announced a new taskforce to deliver thousands of homes on surplus public land, with Defence land becoming a ‘trailblazer’ for the new partnership approach to development. This is an opportunity for all parts of the country, helping meet the Government’s ambition for 1.5 million homes.
As part of this, the Defence Secretary has identified the long-term capacity on surplus Ministry of Defence (MOD) land for at least 100,000 homes. Trailblazer sites include a site in Ripon, which was transferred from MOD to Homes England to allow construction at Deverell Barracks to start within 12 months to expedite the delivery of 1,300 homes.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the defence footprint in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Northern Ireland plays a vital role in defending the UK, from building the new Fleet Solid Support ships that will enable carrier group operations across the globe, through to manufacturing advanced weaponry used by our Armed Forces and allies, as demonstrated by the £1.6 billion contract with Thales the for Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM).
Defence and security requirements dictate the defence footprint in Northern Ireland and we review this regularly. More broadly we are working to launch a Defence Growth Deal that will invest in targeted interventions to support the defence industry in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sites earmarked for disposal in Better Defence Estate 2016 have been sold; and when those sites were sold.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Of the sites earmarked for disposal under Better Defence Estate 2016, 31 sites were released for alternative use between 2016 and 2025.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which sites earmarked for disposal in Better Defence Estate 2016 remain unsold.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Following the 2020 Integrated Review, Spending Reviews, and Future Soldier announcements, 32 of the sites earmarked for disposal under Better Defence Estate 2016 are awaiting disposal following completion of reprovision works.