Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent work Healthcare UK has done to encourage healthcare providers in Northern Ireland to work with their British counterparts on bidding for overseas projects.

Healthcare UK informs us that they have provided support to a Northern Irish digital healthcare company to progress contract negotiations with a Chinese partner. At the request of the company two Healthcare UK officials travelled to Belfast to meet with the company directors in order to understand the project and the support required from Healthcare UK. A second trip occurred soon after, again at the request of the company, to offer United Kingdom government support in the presence of the Chinese partners who were visiting Northern Ireland at the time. The Northern Irish company has expressed thanks for the support that they required from Healthcare UK in addition to what they have received from Invest Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland's Health Minister, Mr E Poots. Healthcare UK has also provided advice to the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister on their overseas engagement.