Lifting MoD spend on NI-made goods – MPs to take evidence from industry and experts
MPs on the cross-party Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will hear evidence from Leslie Orr of the defence trade association ADS and security think tank RUSI’s Professor Trevor Taylor as it explores how to lift defence spending in Northern Ireland.
Meeting details
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) spends a smaller sum per person on hardware and services from Northern Ireland than it does from almost anywhere else in the UK, £100 per head compared to Scotland’s £380. This is despite the presence of giants like Harland and Wolff, Thales, Spirit AeroSystems and many smaller firms which represent 95% of NI’s defence companies, according to written evidence from ADS. Just £2 million of MoD cash was spent on these SMEs in NI, compared with £1.4 billion UK-wide.
Meanwhile, RUSI have identified the defence industry as ‘providing opportunities in economically deprived areas’ for employment and training. Northern Ireland has historically had lower levels of employment and capital investment.