International Development and Aid Minister will be in the North East before too long

I meet regularly with the If campaigners, Make Poverty History, the Jubilee Debt campaigners, Christian Aid and various local churches, all of whom I know would like to meet with the lady who has overall control of the international aid budget and countless decisions that have a major impact on the poorer countries in this world, and many others as well.

I have spoken to the Justine Greening, the International Development Minister, as to when she will be visiting the North East and to be fair her diary is a nightmare as she is rarely in this country, let alone able to travel around Britain but I prompted her diary secretary and the Minister herself with a recent written question that I set out below. My suspicion is that she will be with us in Newcastle in the spring at the latest. When she does come I will make sure everyone knows well in advance, and the session will deliberately be an open Q & A.
The Hansard source for everything I do is set out on the They work for you website or on the parliament website, but for the record the reply is 16/7/13:

Overseas Aid: North East

Guy Opperman (Hexham, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she next intends to visit the North East of England to update churches, aid groups and interested parties on the coordination of UK humanitarian and aid support to key developing countries.

Although my plans for travel within the UK during the coming year have not yet been confirmed, I am keen to meet directly with faith-based communities and NGOs across the country, including in the North East of England.