Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) supports the whole of the UK, and we are committed to enabling our staff to meet our objective to support trade and investment in every part of the United Kingdom.

DIT engages with the Cabinet Office’s Devolution and You programme which aims to build awareness of devolution and improve intergovernmental working through shared learning and knowledge exchange. For example, in recent weeks ten DIT senior civil servants attended a devolution workshop, with several more already signed up for a second workshop taking place in June. Fast Streamers can avail themselves of the training available for all staff. A DIT delegation participated in UK Government Interchange Week in 2017, and the Department hosted participants during the Interchange Week which took place earlier this year.

In addition, DIT runs its own learning initiatives, for example during Devolution Learning Week, and is in the process of planning activity for this year’s event. DIT’s devolution strategy team provides advice on devolution for effective policy making and engagement.