Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she plans to attend the International Festival for Business in Liverpool.

As the hon Member will know, my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister opened the International Festival for Business recently. The events will be a great opportunity to showcase the very best of Britain and encourage foreign investors to set up or expand in the UK, including Northern Ireland.

While I have no plans to visit at present, I fully intend to discuss the Festival when I meet Dominic Jermey, the incoming CEO of UKTI, shortly and the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to see how Northern Ireland businesses can best take advantage of the opportunities that it offers.