Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) civil service and (b) senior civil service positions his Department has created in functions associated with the UK leaving the EU in each year since 2016; and whether his Department plans to create any such positions in 2021.

In 2016, the Department reprioritised an initial 100 staff (6 SCS) to work directly on EU exit preparations with more staff managing the wider implications of EU exit.

In 2017, a total of 450 staff (27 SCS) were working on EU exit preparations.

Between 2018-2020, HM Treasury funded ~850 staff (~50 SCS) to support EU exit and transition preparations. The wider number of staff involved in the Department’s preparations has fluctuated, with up to 1200 staff (~70 SCS) working on emerging EU Transition priorities.

We are in the process of implementing the Spending Review outcome for 2021-22 and have no plans to create new EU exit positions.