Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps the Government has taken to support bilateral trade with Israel.

On December 2^nd, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade confirmed to the House that the UK will open a public consultation on an enhanced bilateral free trade agreement with Israel early next year.

Officials are in regular contact with their Israeli counterparts to implement the existing UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The UK is due to hold the inaugural UK-Israel Joint Committee early next year and is also planning to host a joint UK-Israel Innovation Summit in March. This will be an opportunity to highlight our ambitious trade, science and innovation relationship, and showcase the shared talents of leading British and Israeli businesses.