I am delighted to be representing the Department for International Trade, and I thank my predecessor for his work. The Department is progressing bilateral trade discussions, engaging with CPTPP countries on how to enhance ties with the UK, and continuing negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Government are open to engaging constructively with industry and players across multiple Departments. The Minister invites the hon. Gentleman to invite them for a discussion on securing this trade benefit in his constituency or elsewhere, as they work closely with businesses.

My hon. Friend promotes a fantastic business in his constituency. The UK tech sector retains the No. 1 spot in Europe, with a total valuation of over £1 trillion in 2022 and is one of the top countries for collaboration and investment in life sciences.

I am new to this business and believe the £1-trillion target was set for 2030. There are seven years left until then, so I suggest patience. The UK tech sector is a great success story with continued growth.

We represent business on this side of the House, while Labour is blamed for backing strikes. There is good news in tech investment with £20 billion attracted. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts UK as fastest growing G7 economy by 2050.

Excitement is building ahead of my visit. I am a proud champion of small businesses, which are key to economic growth. Growth has been good over the past 12 years but we want it faster. I look forward to engaging with Kettering business representatives.

I thank the hon. Lady for the constructive engagement that we have had about the TRA. We will be looking for some reform of the TRA, and I would be happy to discuss that further with her.

Absolutely. We have agreed MOUs with Indiana, North Carolina and, most recently, South Carolina. We are actively engaging with other states, including Oklahoma, Utah, Texas and California, and I look forward to updating the House on further progress.

We are progressing with the free trade agreement with Israel. We are excited about the opportunities it presents, particularly because of the focus on science, technology and innovation. I understand the point that the hon. Lady is raising. I think some of it cuts across other Departments, but I will write to her.

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Food and drink is our largest manufacturing sector—larger than aerospace and automotive put together. He is right to point out the opportunities for dairy in our free-trade negotiations, and that will be taken forward as the negotiations progress.

The hon. Lady raises an important point, but we are trying to work across all sectors—industry by industry and sector by sector. We have clear processes, particularly when it relates to arms. We will continue to seek opportunities for fair trade across the world.

Pakistan already has a preferential trading relationship with the UK through our generalised scheme of preferences. This will be replaced by the developing countries trading scheme, and Pakistan will continue to benefit from duty-free exports to the UK and the removal of tariffs on 156 products.

As I have said, we will continue to work with the EU to try to reduce barriers that do exist. I cannot make a promise on behalf of the Home Office, but I note what the hon. Lady has said, and I will try to facilitate the appropriate meeting with the appropriate Minister for her.

Northern Ireland plays a full part in all our trading agreements, and I believe that a Northern Irish machinery exporter is involved in the Australia deal. My hon. Friend and I have spoken quite a bit about the Northern Ireland protocol in respect of the Bill I took through recently, and he will be aware of the sensitive discussions that have taken place with the Administration to ensure everything can be as smooth as possible.