Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on the establishment of a Northern Ireland hub in London as committed to in Annex A, Section 7 of the New Decade New Approach Deal.

The UK Government is committed to delivering on its commitments under the New Decade, New Approach Agreement as well as strengthening the ties across the UK.

We recognise the strong case for a Northern Ireland hub in London and I hope that the Executive might be able to support the proposal, which would strengthen Northern Ireland’s presence and impact in London and more widely. However, this proposal has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and remains at the early scoping stage. The next step will be to explore the feasibility of the proposal and the Executive’s appetite for a base in London.

In the meantime, InvestNI has an existing hub in London that supports business development, networking and marketing opportunities for InvestNI clients across the UK. Part of the New Deal for Northern Ireland included £8m funding to InvestNI to expand their presence overseas and help increase exports and attract investment.

We are also committed to continuing to showcase the brilliance of Northern Ireland across the UK and to the world. The Centenary of Northern Ireland this year presents a wonderful opportunity to drive this forward, including through our hosting a NI Business Showcase event in London to boost exports and investment into Northern Ireland.

We will continue to work with partners in Northern Ireland and beyond to champion all that it, and the rest of the United Kingdom has to offer.