Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2018 to Question 182876 on Government Departments: Disclosure of Information, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has made in relation to preparations for the UK leaving the EU.

Government departments make use of non-disclosure agreements when structuring engagements with businesses or other organisations on preparations for leaving the EU.

They are also a common component of contractual arrangements that are used to protect commercial considerations of the parties involved or to protect sensitives around the development of Government policy.

It is entirely normal practice to use such agreements and they are therefore sometimes necessary for Government departments who are responsible for managing their preparations for leaving the EU. This department has put a limited number of non-disclosure agreements in place in the course of its work.