Lord Rogan wins ministerial assurance on business benefits for Northern Ireland

UUP peer Lord Dennis Rogan has secured a commitment from a Government Defence Minister that a recently agreed trilateral security partnership between the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia will boost business in Northern Ireland.

Agreed in 2021, AUKUS has been designed to allow the three nations to cooperate closely on key defence capabilities including submarine technology and artificial intelligence.

Speaking in a House of Lords Grand Committee debate on the partnership yesterday afternoon, Lord Rogan asked the Earl of Minto: “Last year, when announcing new funding to support the AUKUS programme, the Prime Minister suggested that it could create thousands of jobs in the United Kingdom.

“Can the Minister tell me whether any of these jobs will come to Belfast which, as we well know, has such a long and illustrious history, both in shipbuilding at Harland & Wolff and in supplying the defence sector at Thales Air Defence Ltd, formerly Shorts Missiles Systems?”

Replying on behalf of the Government, the Minister of State for Defence told Lord Rogan: “On the question of jobs in Belfast, there is indeed a very proud tradition and industrial past of shipbuilding in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

“I take the point: Barrow-in-Furness has the licence and capability to build the submarines, but I am certain that there will be a lot of SME opportunity that includes Northern Ireland.

“In fact, we will ensure that it does.”

Speaking afterwards, Lord Rogan said he was “greatly encouraged” by the Minister’s positive response and would be writing to him seeking further details on the business benefits the AUKUS partnership will bring to Northern Ireland.