Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many staff work in the intergovernmental relations (IGR) Secretariat as of 7 November 2022; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of running that Secretariat.

The Cabinet Office has been working with the devolved governments to establish the IGR Secretariat. Recruitment for the Head of Secretariat role went live in November. The new Head of Secretariat will be asked to present options on the exact size and shape of the team, however UKG and the devolved governments have a shared ambition to ensure it is small and nimble in its operation.