Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what basis his Department assesses the quality of deliveries of the AJAX armoured vehicle; and what recent assessment he has made of the quality of those deliveries.

The Ministry of Defence uses a range of contractual milestones to assess and monitor the quality of Ajax vehicles before delivery to the Army. The Defence Quality Assurance Field Force provides a continual assessment of the General Dynamics' Quality System and compliance with contractual requirements and legislation, seeking to identify opportunities for continuous improvement. Recent assessments indicate some improvement in General Dynamics' quality system supporting the production and delivery of Ajax vehicles.