Secretary of State in town

She will attend a private lunch at the City Hotel, hosted by the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber will also have a private audience with the minister. The agenda includes expansion of the University of Ulster’s Magee campus; corporation tax; City of Culture 2013; DigitalDerry; the relationship with London Tech City; CultureTECH 2013; support for infrastructure improvement; and the possible creation of a local enterprise zone.

Sinead McLaughlin, chief executive of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are delighted that Theresa Villiers is in Derry to meet our members. This is our first meeting with the new Secretary of State and we appreciate the fact that she has taken the opportunity to meet us at this early stage in her role.

“We hope to learn more about the state of play regarding the consideration of devolving corporation tax rate setting to the Northern Ireland Executive. While we appreciate that economic decisions are to a large extent already devolved to the Executive, we are keen to discuss with the minister what further support can be provided to this badly depressed region.

“The Chamber is a keen supporter of the devolution of corporation tax, but if this does not happen our members will be strong advocates of other measures to boost our economy. Substantial university expansion and improvements to road and other infrastructure remain the priority concerns for the Chamber and its members in terms of improving the local economic environment.”