As I confirmed to the House during Defence Oral Questions on 16 March 2026, we have received the final Army safety investigation report, and work is ongoing to agree next steps. The department continues to engage with General Dynamics on the report and next steps, as we have since Exercise TITAN STORM. I will update the House after Easter recess to outline next steps.

As I confirmed to the House during Defence Oral Questions on 16 March 2026, we have received the final Army safety investigation report, and work is ongoing to agree next steps. The department continues to engage with General Dynamics on the report and next steps, as we have since Exercise TITAN STORM. I will update the House after Easter recess to outline next steps.

As I confirmed to the House during Defence Oral Questions on 16 March 2026, we have received the final Army safety investigation report, and work is ongoing to agree next steps. The department continues to engage with General Dynamics on the report and next steps, as we have since Exercise TITAN STORM. I will update the House after Easter recess to outline next steps.

As I confirmed to the House during Defence Oral Questions on 16 March 2026, we have received the final Army safety investigation report, and work is ongoing to agree next steps. The department continues to engage with General Dynamics on the report and next steps, as we have since Exercise TITAN STORM. I will update the House after Easter recess to outline next steps.

The number of personnel with a recorded code for the relevant symptom has been provided. It should be noted that personnel who had a recorded symptom for noise or vibration may have had this on their health record prior to their first Ajax use.

For any service person, use of Ajax will be mixed with other hazardous exposures in Defence, such as load-carriage, fitness tests and noise and vibration exposures from other sources such as small arms fire on ranges or other armoured vehicles. It is also possible that any symptoms may be non-Ajax related. Therefore, although a noise or vibration symptom may have been recorded on the health record since the individual first operated Ajax, it does not mean that the symptom was caused as a direct result of operating on the Ajax platform and could be entirely unrelated.

Of those recorded as using Ajax since the start of the Armoured Cavalry programme between 23 July 2025 and 13 November 2025:

• 25 personnel had a noise symptom recorded on their electronic medical record since they first used Ajax.
• 59 personnel had a vibration symptom recorded on their electronic medical record since they first used Ajax.

Since my Written Statement on 22 January 2026, I can confirm that there are less than five personnel remaining in the medical chain. We continue to ensure they receive necessary support.

As I advised in my Written Statement on 22 January 2026, the outcome of the Ministerial review concluded that Departmental submissions were accurate in declaring Ajax as safe to operate. However, it also found Ministers should have been briefed more comprehensively in relation to operational impact and the nuanced risks of operating safely. Importantly, submissions did not reflect the full breadth of known aggregated safety risk, particularly regarding vibration related injuries and historical programme issues.

The investigation into the safety of the Ajax platform remains ongoing, and as I advised in the Written Statement I made on 22 January 2026, I will provide a further update in due course.

The investigation into the safety of the Ajax platform remains ongoing, and as I advised in the Written Statement I made on 22 January 2026, I will provide a further update in due course.

Since 23 July 2025, centrally held electronic systems show fewer than five personnel have had a hospital admission recorded since their first use of Ajax. None of these were related to Ajax, hearing or vibration.

In the same period, 27 personnel have had a hearing loss related read code entered into their electronic medical record since their first use of Ajax. However, the presence of read code does not imply either a long-term problem or that it has been caused by their use of Ajax. For any Service person their use of Ajax will be mixed with other potential sources of exposure. It is also possible that symptoms are not occupationally related.

The War Pensions Scheme (WPS) and Armed Forces Compensation Schemes (AFCS) compensate service personnel and veterans for a wide range of injuries and illnesses arising from or exacerbated by their service. Non-freezing cold injuries (NFCI) are included in both schemes.

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 13 awards for NFCI conditions under the War Pensions Scheme (WPS).

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 32 initial awards for Non-Freezing Cold Injury conditions under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). AFCS awards for NFCI that were initially rejected, but subsequently awarded are not included and not available at this point.

In addition, settlements of common law compensation claims for alleged MOD negligence or omissions resulting in personal injury are published annually. The statistical bulletin is published in the year following the end of the previous financial year so settled claims and compensation paid in financial year (FY) 2024-25 will be published in summer 2026. The link below provides the most up to date information relating to common law claims in FY2023-24 including NFCI claims.

MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2023/24 - GOV.UK

Acting recklessly with or throwing fireworks can cause life-changing injuries. These actions can result in criminal prosecution and/or civil liability, depending on whether the injury was caused deliberately, recklessly or negligently.

There are numerous offences this can fall under, including: s.39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (common assault/battery) or from the+ Offences against the Person Act 1861: s47 (assault occasioning actual bodily harm), s20 (wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm), s18 (wounding/causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do grievous bodily harm), s28 (grievous bodily harm by the unlawful explosion of gunpowder or other explosive substance), s29 (unlawfully causing gunpowder or some other explosive substance to explode with intent to cause grievous bodily harm). The charge chosen will depend on the facts and circumstances of the case and the level of injury caused.

During the most recently available 12 months (ending June 2025) management information shows that a total of 102,493 offences charged by way of the above legislation, commenced prosecution in magistrates’ courts. Of these charges the CPS is unable to identify which offences specifically involved fireworks as opposed to physical assaults or the use of other types of weapons, without a manual review of each case, which would incur disproportionate cost.

If an injury is caused through negligence (e.g. due to an accident at a private or publicly organised display) the person who set off the firework (or the event organiser/landowner) may be sued for damages in a civil court. Information on proceedings in civil courts is held by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

The following table shows the number of hospital admissions due to “discharge of firework” in each of the past five financial years:

Source: Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity, available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-admitted-patient-care-activity

These figures do not represent the total number of people injured by fireworks as data is not collected for those who do not attend accident and emergency or are not admitted.

The implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme took place between April 2015 and September 2016.

The supporting table below shows the total number of initial injury/illness claims cleared under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2024 with a condition awarded for hearing loss by financial year, and the corresponding payment amounts.

The Ministry of Defence publishes annual statistics for the AFCS on the GOV.UK website. The latest publication was on 18 July 2024 using data extracted from the Compensation and Pension System (CAPS) as at 31 March 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-compensation-scheme-statistics-index

Table 1: Total initial injury/illness claims cleared under the AFCS with a condition awarded for hearing loss by financial year¹, numbers and £^2,3

1 April 2013 - 31 March 2024

Source: Compensation and Pension System (CAPS), Veterans UK Finance Team

1. By financial year which the initial claim was cleared. If a claim had subsequent activity (a reconsideration, appeal and/or review) which led to an increase in awarded tariff, the claim is presented in the financial year the initial claim was cleared.
2. Expenditure amounts awarded have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Includes accrued expenditure for claims awarded but were still to be processed and paid.
3. Multiple injuries/illnesses can be awarded under one claim. Lump sum compensation: only the lump sum amount awarded under the Senses tariff of injury table within the claim for a hearing loss related tariff. Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP): total GIP amount paid, to date, for the whole awarded claim if hearing loss was the highest awarded condition; this is due to the methodology behind GIP calculations.

Between March 2003 and 1 April 2015 which was the start of the implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme the total cost of common law claims for noise-induced hearing loss claims was £110 million. This includes damages and claimant legal costs for claims from both Service and Civilian personnel. Further breakdown including by Service is not readily available. Most claims take a long time to settle and payments occur over a number of years. Calculation of an average payout over this period would incur disproportionate cost.

This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

The implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme took place between April 2015 and September 2016. Since 1 October 2016, the cost of common law claims for noise-induced hearing loss claims was £250 million. This includes damages and claimant legal costs for claims from both Service and Civilian personnel. Further breakdown including by Service is not readily available. Most claims take a long time to settle and payments occur over a number of years. Calculation of an average payout over this period would incur disproportionate cost.

This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

The majority of hearing loss claims are historic, and allegations cover all noise exposures, from a variety of sources, over a long period of time, both in combat and training. Claimants will have used more than one type of hearing protection. It is not possible to identify if claims relate to the Tactical Hearing Protection System.

The implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme took place between April 2015 and Sep 2016.

Between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2015 there were approximately 16,000 common law compensation claims for Noise-induced hearing loss from Defence personnel.

As this is based on historic data on legacy systems it is not possible to be more specific or break down the figure between Service and Civilian personnel. This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

The implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme took place between April 2015 and September 2016.

The number of Noise-induced hearing loss claims brought by current and former Service personnel is reported in the Ministry of Defence common law compensation claim statistics.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-compensation-claims-statistics

The breakdown of Service is not readily available. This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

It is not possible to identify if claims relate to the Tactical Hearing Protection System.