Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent estimate he has made of when Intertrade UK will commence operations.

Intertrade UK is a non-statutory advisory body that supports the East-West Council (EWC) in promoting all internal UK trade, made up of a Chair and six dedicated experts. The roles are unremunerated, but a Secretariat function will be provided by the Northern Ireland Office, with dedicated policy support provided by other Government Departments as required.

The work programme and budget for Intertrade UK are under development, and will ensure value for money.

Since the announcement of Baroness Foster as Chair of Intertrade UK in September 2024, preparatory work has been continuing in advance of the first meeting, the date of which will be confirmed soon.