For the first time a British Irish Parliamentary Assembly plenary is to be held in the Isle of Man. The 41st British Irish Parliamentary Assembly plenary will take place on Monday November 22 and Tuesday November 23 at the Villa Marina where the Chief Minister, Hon Tony Brown MHK, will deliver a formal address on the Monday morning. The plenary will debate the Saville Report on Bloody Sunday published in June 2010 and be addressed by the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Patterson MP. Also on the agenda is a discussion on how investment in and support for tourism can contribute to economic recovery in the Isle of Man, Britain and Ireland. Speaker of the House of Keys, the Hon Steve Rodan said: ‘I am very pleased that the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly is coming to the Island for the first time; it usually alternates between the Irish Republic and UK. This move reflects, I think, the increasing importance of the Assembly’s dealing with issues of concern right across the British Isles, not just the more traditional Northern Ireland issues. The reciprocal health agreement, which did not involve Ireland at all, is an example of this. ‘This is something of a coup for the Isle of Man, raising our international profile amongst prominent British and Irish parliamentarians. The Assembly’s steering group met here two years ago, and so impressed were they with our conference facilities and with the Island itself that they readily accepted my invitation to return for a plenary conference.’ The Isle of Man will also be the location for a British Irish Council summit in December 2010, to be chaired by the Chief Minister. Ends