DUP leader says while Harland and Wolff news is 'unsettling' - the MoD is committed to Belfast
Gavin Robinson says the Harland and Wolff site in Belfast has an optimistic future because of a Ministry of Defence commitment to deliver new Royal Navy support ships.
On his last visit to Belfast, the Prime Minister said “work in the defence realm is very important to” the government. On Monday it emerged that the shipyard’s parent company has now gone into administration.
The East Belfast MP told the News Letter: “This news, whilst unsettling, relates to the London based PLC rather than the Belfast yard.
“A step taken to increase attractiveness for a new purchaser, the Ministry of Defence have committed that Belfast is pivotal to the Fleet Solid Support contract awarded to the company.
“The energy and optimistic future of the Belfast facility remains.
“I will continue to engage with the interim Executive Chair as that process continues”.
The DUP has campaigned to deliver defence contracts and secured a pledge from the last Government that it would launch a review that “will look to increase public and commercial awareness of the Northern Ireland defence sector, and develop proposals to ensure Northern Ireland is benefiting from investment in defence industries in the same way as the rest of the country”.
The pledge was made in the Safeguarding the Union deal to restore powersharing at Stormont.
Harland and Wolff has a government contract for the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships – which are designed to deliver crucial munitions, supplies and provisions to the Royal Navy while at sea.
They will provide both logistical and operational support, including counter-piracy and counter-terrorism missions and will collaborate with allies on operations, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The government says the ships are designed with “an emphasis on minimising carbon emissions, equipped with energy-efficient technologies to decrease power consumption and are adaptable to reduce their carbon footprint by using low-carbon, non-fossil fuels, and future sustainable energy sources” – and will be carbon neutral by the end of their lifespan.