Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide (a) financial and (b) other support for Harland and Wolff’s Belfast shipyard.

Following a comprehensive assessment of the company’s financial profile and the criteria set out in UK Government risk policies, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement on 22 July that the UK Government had decided not to proceed with the provision of an Export Development Guarantee to Harland and Wolff.

This was not an easy decision, but we concluded that the market is best placed to resolve these commercial matters. Government funding would not necessarily secure our objectives, and there is a risk that taxpayer money would be lost.

We want to see an outcome for Harland and Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and fabrication in Northern Ireland and protects jobs, and we encourage all parties to engage with trade unions before further decisions are made.