Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he has made on (a) establishing a new Trade Advisory Board in Northern Ireland, (b) appointing Northern Ireland Trade Ambassadors and (c) developing a Trade Accelerator Plan as agreed to in Annex A, Section 4 of the New Decade New Approach deal.

The UK Government is committed to delivering on its commitments under the New Decade, New Approach deal and more widely promoting Northern Ireland as a great place to live, work, visit and do business.

On 8 March 2021, we announced the allocation of £8m from the New Deal for Northern Ireland funding, to enhance InvestNI plans to expand their presence into new locations, crucially opening up exciting opportunities for NI businesses to access a rapidly changing global market.

However, the commitments relating to the establishment of a new Trade Advisory Board, appointment of NI Trade Ambassadors and developing a Trade Accelerator Plan are important matters for the Executive to deliver.

The UK Government stands ready to support the Executive with these initiatives.