Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Defence Industrial Strategy

Wednesday 3 June 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government is ensuring that Northern Ireland benefits from the defence industrial strategy 2025, including a 1.6 billion deal for Thales in Belfast.
  • Thales in Belfast was awarded a 36 million contract for multi-role missiles under the defence industrial strategy.
  • Meetings have been held with businesses in Northern Ireland to discuss leveraging the region's high-tech supply chains and manufacturing skills for the defence growth deal.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Smith Lab North Northumberland
Defence Northern Ireland
Context

The defence industrial strategy 2025 is expected to influence various regions, including Northern Ireland.

Question

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of the defence industrial strategy 2025 on Northern Ireland?

Answer from Matthew Patrick

The Government are ensuring that all benefit from investment in defence, including a £1.6 billion deal to supply missiles to Ukraine manufactured in Belfast by Thales, supporting hundreds of jobs and tripling production capacity.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assessment and opportunity for job creation and economic growth was not detailed.

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Q2 David Smith Lab North Northumberland
Defence Economy Northern Ireland
Context

Thales in Belfast has received a £36 million contract to provide multi-role missiles, supporting highly skilled jobs.

Question

I welcome the good news that Thales in Belfast was given a £36 million contract for multi-role missiles. Does the defence industrial strategy represent a huge opportunity for job creation and economic growth in regions such as Northern Ireland?

Answer from Matthew Patrick

Of course. Through the defence industrial strategy, businesses across the UK can play their part in advancing our defence industry.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Opportunities for job creation and economic growth were not specifically detailed.

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Defence Northern Ireland
Context

Shorts, Harland & Wolff and Thales in Northern Ireland have world-class engineering capabilities.

Question

Given the high-tech supply chains and advanced manufacturing skills base in Northern Ireland, will the defence growth deal leverage these resources to boost regional private sector growth?

Answer from Matthew Patrick

I have met many businesses across Northern Ireland to discuss the defence growth deal, focusing on skills and supply chains to support more of those businesses.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific leverage of existing high-tech supply chains was not detailed.

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