Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Northern Ireland Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Jeremy Quin Excerpts
Wednesday 28th June 2017

(7 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The Minister has never been more popular.

Jeremy Quin Portrait Jeremy Quin (Horsham) (Con)
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7. What recent progress has been made on developing Northern Ireland's economy.

Chloe Smith Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chloe Smith)
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The fundamentals of the Northern Ireland economy are strong, with growth last year at 1.6%. Unemployment has fallen and employment has risen, but there is much more we must do.

Jeremy Quin Portrait Jeremy Quin
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I welcome the additional investment in Northern Ireland’s economy, to address structural weaknesses. May I urge the Government to reinforce their efforts to secure private sector and foreign direct investment?

Chloe Smith Portrait Chloe Smith
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I assure my hon. Friend that we will continue to do that, using our relationships across the globe. It is clear that, despite the progress made in recent years, special circumstances still apply to Northern Ireland. We want a strong economy for all communities there.