Multi-Million Pound Deal Welcomed At Thales

Despite a gloomy outlook on the economy nationally - with a UK recession officially confirmed today - there's good news for a specialist engineering company in east Belfast.

Thales Air Defence, formerly Shorts Missile Systems, has won a £200m Ministry of Defence contract and will supply part of the Starstreak missile system to the MoD until 2020.

Commenting, NI Economy Minister Arlene Foster (pictured) said the deal would "generate significant additional value and see it continue to provide high quality employment".

The company, part of French defence company Thales, employs more than 500 people at its Belfast plant.

"Thales is a highly innovative local company with a strong external sales focus and globally recognised reputation," said the Minister.

"Significant research and development support from Invest NI has been instrumental in helping the company position itself at the forefront of technological capability, leading to this latest major deal," she said, noting the contract is good news for the Northern Ireland economy during what is a challenging period for all sectors.

"It will generate significant additional value and see Thales continue to provide high quality employment well into the future," she said.

Meanwhile, DUP MLA, Robin Newton, whose East Belfast constituency covers Thales - and who is Vice Chairman of the Employment and Learning Committee - has commented on the overall difficulties facing Northern Ireland at this time.

While warmly welcoming the Thales' contract and the added security for the hundreds employed there, he said: "We must also be careful not to fall behind in terms of skills and training provision by ensuring continued uptake of 'upskilling' and apprenticeship programmes, rather than simply managing the increasing levels of unemployment.

See: Britain 'Officially In A Recession'

(BMcC/JM)