Motion or amendment: Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Defence Industries

Motion or amendment by Mr Phillip Brett on 7 May 2024.

MLA: Mr Phillip Brett
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 7 May 2024
Type: Motion or amendment
Business: Motion · Private Members' Motion
Heading: Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Defence Industries
Assembly identifier: Document 400366

Read the official Assembly record Open Data source

Text

Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Defence Industries
That this Assembly is committed to realising the untapped potential of the aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors in Northern Ireland; notes that these growing industries employed 9,000 people across Northern Ireland in 2022 and provided over 500 apprenticeships; further notes that technology produced in Northern Ireland has been a significant pillar of the UK’s support for the defence of Ukraine; regrets the current low levels of Ministry of Defence spending in Northern Ireland, including in respect of small and medium sized enterprises; believes a concerted effort to incorporate Northern Ireland into the UK defence network will generate significant and lasting economic opportunities, as well as promote Northern Ireland as a global leader in innovative aerospace and security technology; welcomes commitments to strengthening Northern Ireland’s defence industries in the UK Government’s Safeguarding the Union Command Paper; calls on the Minister for the Economy to develop an ambitious programme to showcase opportunities for investment in local defence industries and shipbuilding; and further calls on the Minister to work with industry, the Ministry of Defence and Executive colleagues to ensure our workforce has the skills required to scale up the defence and security industries in Northern Ireland.

200 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.