Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the business case for her Department’s move to the Old Admiralty Building was prepared (a) before or (b) after the decisions to (i) transfer her ministerial responsibilities for the GREAT campaign to the Cabinet Office and (ii) provide her Department with support from the Cabinet Office on the coordination of cross-Government positions on trade issues.

The Old Admiralty Building (OAB) is the first Government Hub delivered by the London Whitehall Campus Programme, which aims to consolidate and rationalise the Government’s London estate. The Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Government Art Collection are tenants of the Hub in OAB and the Government Property Agency (GPA) is the landlord.

The GPA drafted and submitted the Full Business Case covering costs for both GPA and DIT for the completion and fit out of the Old Admiralty Building, including the Department for International Trade’s move costs. The business case was submitted by GPA in November 2019 and the Finance addendum submitted in January 2020.

The transfer of ministerial responsibilities for GREAT to the Cabinet Office was formally confirmed on 20 April 2021. There is no link between this transfer and the business case for DIT’s move to Old Admiralty Building.