HC Deb 09 February 1988 vol 127 c164W
Mr. John D. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the noble Lord Lyell, was in Berlin during Green Week; to which radio, press, and television outlets the Minister gave interviews about Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the benefits to the people of Northern Ireland of this visit.

Mr. Viggers

My noble Friend Lord Lyell attended Green Week in West Berlin from 28 to 30 January 1988 as the United Kingdom representative at the invitation of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, where he had discussions with the President of the Federal Republic, the Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forestry and EC Commissioner Andriessen.

General interviews with the media included the BBC, the British Forces Broadcasting Services and Downtown Radio; The Scotsman; The Press and Journal, Aberdeen;East Anglia Times; Holt Publications, Australia and Tyne Tees Television.

My noble Friend found the visit to be most useful, as he was able to bring back the message to the food industry in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom that there is a continuing need for the British food industry to recognise consumer demands and the opportunity to capture new markets in Germany by combining all those resources which contribute to high quality and well-presented products.

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