Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what professional development courses are made available to staff of her Department; and what the cost to the public purse is of each such course.

Professional development courses are made available to staff when the business role requires this, for example, accountancy exams for finance staff. Any course attended by a member of staff must be business related and must be supported by a business case. Costs are agreed on a case by case basis.