Northern Ireland Investment Summit Debate
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Baroness Williams of Trafford
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Northern Ireland Investment Summit
Baroness Williams of Trafford Excerpts(5 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
My Lords, there is time for both noble Lords to come in, so we will hear from my noble friend first.
Lord Howell of Guildford (Con)
I declare my interest as a former Minister of Commerce in Northern Ireland. Having travelled around the world raising interest in investment in Northern Ireland, I confirm what my noble friend has just said. There was immense attention to the sheer quality of the training and skills in Northern Ireland, particularly then in the aeronautical sector, in Harland & Wolff, and in a number of other high-tech electronic industries—Japan was especially interested. This was some decades ago, but now that we have a renewed and strong interest in links of every kind with Japan, is that aspect to be emphasised in Northern Ireland?