Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today paid tribute to Sir William Wright, one of Northern Ireland's best known business pioneers.

The Minister said: "I was deeply saddened to learn today of the passing of Sir William Wright. Sir William was a man of immense standing, not just within Northern Ireland's manufacturing sector but also within the local community. A pioneer and entrepreneur of rare foresight and ability, for which he was deservedly knighted, Sir William took over the family business and moved it into the construction of buses, a process which saw it become the Wright Group, and grow into the success today that is Wrightbus. The legacy that he leaves cannot be overstated and I would like to pass on my deepest condolences to Lady Wright and his family at this difficult time."