Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what role they envisage the Northern Ireland defence sector playing in delivering the AUKUS agreement between the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

AUKUS is a landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies. It is one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, while also delivering jobs and economic growth in communities across all three nations.

AUKUS benefits the entire UK, including Northern Ireland, by strengthening our defence industry, generating thousands of new jobs. We expect over 21,000 people to be working on SSN-AUKUS programmes at its peak, both in UK shipyards and across the supply chain.

The commitments made in the Strategic Defence Review will only serve to enhance AUKUS and continue to contribute to jobs creation and economic growth.