Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether headsets procured through the Urgent Capability Requirement procurement programme are PPE standard.

The headsets we are procuring through the Urgent Capability Requirement are being tested by independent test houses using BSEN352, the UK standard for testing hearing protection PPE. The headsets are one element of a system that collectively ensures personnel are appropriately protected in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (including the Control of Noise at Work Regulations (CNAWR) 2005). Military headsets are integrated into the communications system and have to perform a range of military functions (including, where appropriate, integration with ballistic protection equipment). They are not being individually issued as PPE, but will perform as part of the Hierarchy of Controls specified by the Health and Safety Executive to protect personnel from hazards, including noise.