§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the practice adopted by the Army in training with live ammunition; and if he will state the number of serious injuries suffered in the last five years both in the United Kingdom and outside on such training exercises.
§ Mr. Archie Hamilton[holding answer 2 May 1991]: Use of live ammunition in training exercises is covered by a variety of range, safety and weapon systems instructions.
A number of serious injuries arising from training using live ammunition is set out in the table:
Number of serious injuries caused by training with live ammunition Year Number 1986 16 1987 14 1988 23 1989 20 1990 12
§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what policy is adopted by his Department in compensating those service men seriously injured as a result of training where live ammunition is used; and if he will make a statement on how many cases remain outstanding in the past three years.
§ Mr. Archie Hamilton[holding answer 2 May 1991]: Since the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 became law, service personnel have had the right to pursue common law claims for damages against the Crown for any injury they suffer which they believe to have been caused through a negligent act or omission on the part of the Ministry of Defence, its servants or agents. Such claims are considered on a strict legal liability basis. It is not possible to give the number of cases which involved training with live ammunition and where claims are still outstanding as statistics are not held in a manner that can show this.
§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the practice of using live ammunition in training exercises is being reviewed by the Army; and when it was last reviewed.
§ Mr. Archie Hamilton[holding answer 2 May 1991]: The regulations regarding the use of live ammunition in training exercises and range safety instructions are kept under constant review.