Debate contribution: Defence Industries

Debate contribution by Mr David Honeyford on 20 May 2024.

MLA

Mr David Honeyford

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

20 May 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Defence Industries

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4491195

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Last week, we talked in the Chamber about hospitality, which is a key industry and employer in Northern Ireland. Sorcha has laid out our position on this motion. I will focus on our economy and the wider aerospace industry as employers that are growing the GDP of the region and pushing for more success. As has been stated, and as the motion says, aerospace employs approximately 9,000 people here. It does so across approximately 120 companies, whose uniquely close geographic proximity to each other, as well as the advanced engineering heritage that we have here, means that it is a thriving industry. Although parts of the motion read and are decorated as though they are a DUP manifesto, let us not forget the reality that our aerospace, technology and advanced manufacturing sector is much bigger than just the UK market. The cluster of companies that is based here exports to the world. That export means that we will see future growth, and, from future growth, we will see future wealth and more prosperity for the region. The aerospace industry should be supported to help it to sustain and create future employment, bring job opportunities, develop highly skilled pathways and apprenticeships, develop skilled jobs and support our local businesses to grow their exports. That will give us all the best possible chance of having a better economy. Alliance will always strive for better. Given that a substantial percentage of the aerospace and defence companies are European, or at least trade with Europe, we must use and promote our dual market access. It is vital to this region. We should use that dual market access to our advantage to grow exports to GB and the EU, which will grow not only our UK and European markets but our international market. As the UK economy continues to stagnate and slowly decline on the world stage, we must support local businesses to export and to see the world as the stage on which to perform. Northern Ireland is recognised for its commitment to developing world-class innovative technology in the aerospace, security, defence and space sectors. It has a vibrant and rapidly growing industry that is founded on a really strong engineering heritage and backed by robust research, competence, collaboration and leading universities. There are some fantastic local companies and employers in my Lagan Valley constituency. I have known Michael Maguire for many years now, having met as dads on the side of a rugby pitch. His company, Datum Tool Design, which is based in Lisburn, is a great example of success. It creates specialist tooling for the manufacturing process. Alongside Datum, we have other fantastic companies, such as Creative Composites, which is known as the most advanced composite manufacturer on these islands. In Dromore, we have the precision engineering company Green Energy Engineering, and, back in Lisburn, we have NI Precision, Rainey Engineering Solutions and McGowan-Smith. All those precision engineering companies have in-house design and manufacturing facilities. We also have Vita Materials, which produces aircraft seat cushions. Those are some of our premier technology companies in Northern Ireland. We are proud to have them in Lagan Valley. They create jobs and offer highly skilled opportunities in my area, as well as training and apprenticeships. They are key to our local economy. I thank them for the work that they do and wish them all the best for the future. I hope that they will continue to thrive. Aerospace is an area of our economy that we should be at the forefront of, further developing our rich heritage of engineering and technology development. It sits comfortably alongside this region's being the centre of secure information technology, with the growing cluster of companies that offers innovative cybersecurity solutions. They lead the way by creating jobs and giving us hope for a better and more prosperous future. Our focus in the Assembly must be on creating opportunities and giving hope. It is certainly a highly skilled industry, and we should do all that we can to encourage and support it.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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