Defence Procurement: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Debate
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Jim Shannon
Main Page: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)Department Debates - View all Jim Shannon's debates with the Ministry of Defence
Defence Procurement: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Jim Shannon Excerpts(2 days, 22 hours ago)
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Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this topic forward. He is absolutely right to recognise the importance of SMEs and what they can do. In Northern Ireland, Thales invented and produced the NLAW— the next-generation light anti-tank weapon—which slowed down the Russian advance; Thales is also at the forefront of cybersecurity, and all those things are very important. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, when it comes to supporting all SMEs across the United Kingdom—those 434,000 jobs—Northern Ireland must be an integral part of that? I know that is what the hon. Gentleman and the Minister think, and it really is the way forward.
Graham Stringer (in the Chair)
Order. This debate is for an hour and is well-subscribed, so I ask hon. Members to be brief in their interventions.