Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland about the defence of the Western Atlantic.

The UK and Ireland face a range of common threats to our security. We are committed to a close partnership and discuss a wide range of defence and security issues, including maritime security, underpinned by our Defence Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, signed in 2015. The Foreign Secretary hosted Micheál Martin, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and for Foreign Affairs, in London in December.