Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the geo-strategic importance of Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland has a growing and strategically important defence sector, founded on a strong engineering heritage and backed by robust research competence, collaboration, and world-leading academic institutions. Recent figures show that MOD expenditure with UK industry in Northern Ireland rose by 63% compared to the previous year. In real terms this equates to £464 million in 2025-26, the highest level since records began.

In recognition of its geo-strategic importance and huge potential to support Defence meet its national objectives, the Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal was launched earlier this year. It is a £50 million investment aiming to strengthen and grow NI’s defence ecosystem by supporting SMEs to scale capability, access opportunities and contribute to a more resilient UK supply chain.