The Ministry of Defence is still finalising implementation timelines for recommendations from the Independent Expert Panel Review into the Ajax armoured vehicle programme, Defence Minister Luke Pollard has said.
The update came in response to a written parliamentary question from Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who asked for the timetable for actions arising from the review following the Government’s 14 July statement on the Armoured Cavalry Programme.
He said: “Progress is underway with alignment of the Independent Expert Panel Review (IEPR) recommendations with existing Army Safety Investigation Team report recommendations, with implementation timelines being finalised.”
Some of the recommendations cannot be implemented independently because they depend on the outcome of other programmes, while others could affect activity beyond Ajax itself. Pollard said: “Some IEPR recommendations are dependent on the output of other programmes while others have broader applicability beyond the Ajax programme.”
The response does not set out individual deadlines for each recommendation or identify which actions are dependent on other programmes. It does, however, confirm that the MOD is now working towards a formal implementation timetable.
The Independent Expert Panel Review forms part of the wider scrutiny of the Ajax programme following longstanding concerns over vehicle development, safety, noise and vibration, programme governance and the process by which the Army brought the platform towards operational use.
The Army Safety Investigation Team has separately produced recommendations arising from its examination of the programme, and the MOD is now aligning those recommendations with the findings of the independent review. Pollard said he would continue updating Parliament as work progresses.
