Oral QuestionNorthern Ireland Office

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Defence Industrial Strategy 2025 on Northern Ireland.

Tabled: 3 February 2026Answered: 11 February 2026

Asked by

John Slinger

LabourRugby

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Answer from Hansard

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Matthew Patrick)

The defence of our country is always the first duty of any Government. Last week I met businesses big and small, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and representative bodies, as well as our great universities, to discuss how the defence growth deal for Northern Ireland can pack the biggest punch possible. With £250 million across five deals, including one in Northern Ireland, there is a huge potential here, and I am determined that we will seize it.