Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that experts in trade from all countries of the UK are engaged in work on new trade agreements so that they reflect the interests of the country as a whole.

The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) task is to promote trade across the whole United Kingdom, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are committed to working closely with counterparts from the Devolved Administrations. My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met his Scottish counterpart during a visit to Edinburgh and DIT senior officials hold regular meetings with Scottish Development International and our Scottish counterparts. He has also visited Northern Ireland and is scheduled to visit Wales later this year.