Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers from Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 26 November and 3 December (HL2612 and HL2976), who was invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the East–West Council held in Dover House on 24 March.

Attendance at the council remains flexible to align with themes of discussion and so to ensure its East-West dimension is upheld. The following were invited to the inaugural meeting:

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities & Minister for Intergovernmental Relations;

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland;

Minister of State for Northern Ireland;

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up;

First Minister of Northern Ireland;

deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland;

Minister for Communities, Northern Ireland; and

Minister for the Economy, Northern Ireland.