Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to discuss with the devolved administrations the way in which future trade deals will apply to different parts of the UK.

As set out in our Trade White Paper, we are committed to working closely with the devolved administrations on their role in future trade agreements and have ongoing discussions, at both Ministerial and Official level, to ensure that we have a trade policy which works for the whole of the UK.

Although it is currently not possible to engage with Northern Irish Ministers, DIT Officials continue to engage with officials in both the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Civil Service, in the same way they do for Scotland and Wales.

For example, our Second Permanent Secretary recently visited Belfast where he chaired a business roundtable on future trade agreements ensuring that Northern Ireland’s interests are accounted for.