Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the New Decade, New Approach deal, published on 8 January 2022, what recent progress his Department has made on attracting a portfolio of national and international events to Northern Ireland.

It is important that Northern Ireland continues to play a role on both the domestic and international stage, as part of our commitment under the New Decade, New Approach Agreement.

We are in regular contact with colleagues in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport around the bid to host Euro 2028. I am pleased that Casement Park was part of the preliminary bid announced last month. If the bid is successful this will provide a welcome opportunity to help drive economic growth in local communities in Northern Ireland.

I am also pleased that Belfast is the host city for Cyber UK in April 2023, which is the UK’s flagship cyber security event. This will provide an excellent opportunity for Northern Ireland to showcase its growing cyber industry and continue to place the region as a hub for cyber security. This will also further support our commitment in New Decade, New Approach to achieve 5,000 cyber security professionals working in Northern Ireland by 2030.

In the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Statement, it was also announced that £2 million would be provided for the Department for International Trade to work with local partners to host a trade and investment event in Northern Ireland in 2023. This will demonstrate Northern Ireland as an attractive and vibrant place to do business and help drive new mobile investment into its economy.

I look forward to both attending and supporting events promoting Northern Ireland over the coming months.