Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the defence footprint in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland plays a vital role in defending the UK, from building the new Fleet Solid Support ships that will enable carrier group operations across the globe, through to manufacturing advanced weaponry used by our Armed Forces and allies, as demonstrated by the £1.6 billion contract with Thales the for Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM).

Defence and security requirements dictate the defence footprint in Northern Ireland and we review this regularly. More broadly we are working to launch a Defence Growth Deal that will invest in targeted interventions to support the defence industry in Northern Ireland.