Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has for training on devolution for the Civil Service.

It has never been more important for civil servants to understand devolution. As we leave the EU a whole range of powers will return from Brussels and the Civil Service must be ready to understand how those powers interact with the devolution settlements.

My department champions devolution capability right across the Civil Service through the flagship Devolution and You programme. Our learning and development offer is extensive, ranging from online training to immersive workshops, work shadowing and written guidance. Departments and devolved administrations also create tailored devolution training on their specific policy areas and priorities.

We are constantly reviewing Devolution and You to develop additional training. For example, we are working right now on enhancing our work shadowing and interchange scheme so more civil servants can spend time directly working in different administrations and different parts of the UK.