Ammunition: Testing

Mr. Caton
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the rate of failure to detonate or self-destruct of M85 submunitions used in the L20A1 artillery shell on impact (a) on hard surfaces and (b) soft terrain.

Mr. Ingram
The Ministry of Defence does not separately test the rate of failure of M85 submunitions on hard and soft surfaces. I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 April 2007, Official Report, column 800W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) for the detail on L20A1 testing.