Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many official visits were made by foreign diplomats to Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not routinely monitor the travel of foreign diplomats based in the UK within the country.  They are able to meet a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, without the need for permission from the Government. This principle - that diplomats be allowed to undertake engagement without approval of the host State government - is consistent with how we expect our own diplomats working overseas to be able to operate.