Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on steps to ensure equality of opportunity for companies in Northern Ireland to bid for defence procurement contracts.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) regularly engages with devolved administrations and with industry, including companies from Northern Ireland, such as through the Defence Suppliers Forum. Companies in Northern Ireland are afforded the same opportunities to bid for, and to be awarded defence contracts, as companies in other parts of the UK or overseas.

Future tender and contract opportunities with a value of over £10,000, and the timetables for them, are advertised through Defence Contracts On-line, which can be found at the link MOD-DCO at www.contracts.mod.uk and on the Government's Contracts Finder portal, at the link Contracts Finder at www.gov.uk.