Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with the Minister for the Economy in Northern Ireland on the inclusion of businesses in Northern Ireland in UK Government trade talks with Israel.

The UK Government is responsible for negotiating international trade agreements on behalf of all the nations and regions in the UK. DBT understands that the devolved governments have a significant interest in international trade policy and works closely with them to deliver policy that reflects the interests of all parts of the UK.

The UK Government, however, suspended trade negotiations with Israel on 20^th May, owing to the actions of this Israeli Government in Gaza and the West Bank. It will take a sustained shift in the positions of this Israeli government for the UK to consider restarting the FTA negotiations.