Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will name the officers or officials in the current DE&S Ajax Reporting chain at (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3 and (d) 4 star level.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The key officials in the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Ajax Reporting Chain are as follows:
1* - Head Combat Vehicles, Simon Pearson
2* - Director Land Environment, Major General Lizzie Faithfull-Davies
3* - Director General Core, Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly
3* - DE&S CEO, Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton
4* - National Armaments Director, Rupert Pearce
The 2* Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) is Chris Bowbrick, who sits within Army HQ, not DE&S.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department's outgoing National Armaments Director was paid a bonus or departure payment on leaving his post.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The previous National Armaments Director (NAD) was the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) CEO Andy Start, now Deputy NAD. All previous remuneration for Mr Start since joining the Department in September 2022 is declared in the DE&S Annual Report and Accounts. This includes the following Performance Awards:
Financial Year | Value of Performance Award (£000) |
2024-25 | 160-165 |
2023-24 | 165-170 |
2022-23 | 90-95 (prorated) |
To date Mr Start has only ever received remuneration based upon his DE&S CEO contract of employment and no other bonuses have been paid to Mr Start whilst in the Department’s employ. No bonus or departure payment was made to Mr Start when he relinquished the role of NAD in October 2025.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the previous National Armaments Director was paid any performance or other bonuses within the last five years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The previous National Armaments Director (NAD) was the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) CEO Andy Start, now Deputy NAD. All previous remuneration for Mr Start since joining the Department in September 2022 is declared in the DE&S Annual Report and Accounts. This includes the following Performance Awards:
Financial Year | Value of Performance Award (£000) |
2024-25 | 160-165 |
2023-24 | 165-170 |
2022-23 | 90-95 (prorated) |
To date Mr Start has only ever received remuneration based upon his DE&S CEO contract of employment and no other bonuses have been paid to Mr Start whilst in the Department’s employ. No bonus or departure payment was made to Mr Start when he relinquished the role of NAD in October 2025.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the salary band for his Department's new National Armaments Director.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The National Armaments Director role is a Senior Civil Service (SCS) 4 role, the advertised range for the role was up to £400,000 base salary and an annual performance related payment of up to 60% of base salary.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on which date Initial Operating Capability for Ajax was declared; and who signed that declaration.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Initial Operating Capability for Ajax was declared on 5 November 2025.
As safety of our personnel is the top priority of the Ministerial Team, prior to Initial Operating Capability, I asked for and was given assurances in writing by senior Ministry of Defence personnel, including the then National Armaments Director and the Chief of the General Staff, that the system was safe.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the National Armaments Director was consulted prior to the decision to declare IOC for Ajax.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As safety is the top priority of the Ministerial Team, prior to Initial Operating Capability, I asked for and was given assurances in writing by senior Ministry of Defence personnel that the system was safe, including the National Armaments Director.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated IOC date is for the Boxer armoured vehicle.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The updated Mechanised Infantry Boxer Programme Initial Operating Capability date will be published shortly.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid to General Dynamics on the Bowman Evolve to Operate programme in the last five years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The total contract value for the MORPHEUS Evolve to Open Transition Partner contract was £395 million. Due to the confidentiality provisions in the contract protecting commercial interests, we are unable to provide further detail.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has received a request from the Defence Select Committee to provide information relating to the Ajax programme over the last twelve months.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
During the most recent oral evidence session on the AUKUS inquiry, held on 2 December 2025, the Chair of the Defence Committee asked the Department to share with them the advice given by the Chief of the General Staff and the National Armaments Director regarding the safety of the Ajax programme. The Committee also requested details of the outcomes from the ongoing safety investigations into Ajax.
I have agreed to provide as much detail as possible to the Committee on conclusion of the investigations, but this will be subject to the need to protect any commercially sensitive material.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has carried out an evaluation of the potential merits of purchasing the CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence continually assesses its current and planned capabilities to ensure that it is appropriately equipped to face any adversary.
The CV90 was one of the vehicles considered during the competition for the Scout Specialist Vehicle. An evaluation has not occurred since the Ajax contract was awarded.