Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of staff required to assist in trade negotiations; how many such staff have been hired; and what the budget is for the employment of such staff.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has a strong and capable trade policy team which has grown significantly since July 2016, and is continuing to grow.

We continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and externally, in order to build a world class trade policy team that can deliver the best outcomes for the UK. The Department recently appointed Crawford Falconer to the role of Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser, Head of Trade Profession and Second Permanent Secretary.

DIT are committed to delivering a successful exit from the EU. With budgets being dependant on the outcomes of negotiations with the European Union and on policy decisions yet to be taken, it is not possible to provide a figure at this time. DIT will publish our financial accounts which will detail our total expenditure on staff at year end.