Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with representatives of the PXN Group on supporting private sector venture funding opportunities in Northern Ireland.

Ministers have regular discussions with private sector partners who can help deliver the Government's priority of economic growth across the UK, including in Northern Ireland. Private sector venture funding opportunities would not normally form part of such discussions as they are commercially sensitive and an investor's ability to identify such opportunities is part of their competitive advantage. Any investment partnerships with government are based on fair and open procurement by the British Business Bank, undertaken independently of ministers.