Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, by what process the Government plans to recruit trade negotiators; and how many trade negotiators the Government plans to recruit.

My Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and take advantage of huge opportunities. We are beginning the process of recruiting trade negotiators in anticipation of the period of leading up to exiting the European Union after the completion of Article 50 negotiations. We are building our trade policy capability over this period and the process of recruiting staff is underway.