Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and (b) value of trade between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Ireland is one of the UK’s closest and most important trading partners, with approximately £1.71 billion in bilateral trade each week. The UK Government is committed to strengthening this relationship further as demonstrated by the outcomes of the second UK-Ireland Summit held in March 2026. We announced over £900 million of Irish investment into the UK, and agreed an ambitious growth package including enhanced cooperation on infrastructure and renewed exchanges on economic security and SME policy with Irish counterparts. This will continue to unlock further opportunities for UK businesses and workers.