Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the average timeframe for User Validation Trials for armoured vehicles to be completed.

The User Validation Trials are additional bespoke trials that aim to help establish the effectiveness of the proposed Ajax modifications to address the noise and vibration problems and thereby deliver a safe system of work under which to conduct Reliability Growth Trials. User Validation Trials consist of a combination of dynamic testing and detailed analysis of the results. The duration will be dependent on the results and the level of analysis required. I will, however, continue to ensure that the House is kept updated.