Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts and officials in the Irish government and the Northern Ireland Executive on trade and export opportunities in (a) Northern Europe, (b) the US and (c) Asia Pacific countries.
Greg Hands
On 1st August 2016, my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade held meetings in Belfast with Northern Ireland Executive First Minister Arlene Foster MLA and Minister for the Economy Simon Hamilton MLA. A range of topics were discussed including growing exports for Northern Ireland and establishing new UK trading relationships around the globe. During these constructive discussions he underlined the importance that he places on the Department for International Trade serving the whole of the United Kingdom.
The Department for International Trade continues to engage with Republic of Ireland officials, collaborating on trade and exports including most recently at the meeting of UK Permanent Secretaries with their Republic of Ireland Counterparts in London on 7 October.
