§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the means are of assessing a candidate applying for a competency qualification to fire the L104A1 anti-riot gun; what the minimum number of rounds is a candidate must fire to complete the training course; how many rounds must be fired in test conditions; what the pass score is; what the percentage rate of successful candidates is; and how many hours' training is required before a candidate is ready to take the test. [80625]
§ Mr. IngramAll soldiers are, by virtue of their training and experience, considered capable of being trained as a baton gunner. Individuals do not apply to take the L104A1 competency qualification, rather, assessments are made by commanders who then choose who should be trained as a baton gunner. To complete the L21 training course, a minimum of 20 rounds must be fired of which five rounds must be fired under test conditions achieving a grouping of 200mm. There is no score pass or percentage pass rate as such, as training is continued until the standard has been achieved. In addition to the basics of small arms training, it takes a further five hours to train a soldier to safely handle and fire a baton gun.