Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps the Government has taken to support bilateral trade with Israel.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On December 2nd, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade confirmed to the House that the UK will open a public consultation on an enhanced bilateral free trade agreement with Israel early next year.
Officials are in regular contact with their Israeli counterparts to implement the existing UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The UK is due to hold the inaugural UK-Israel Joint Committee early next year and is also planning to host a joint UK-Israel Innovation Summit in March. This will be an opportunity to highlight our ambitious trade, science and innovation relationship, and showcase the shared talents of leading British and Israeli businesses.