Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 8 February (HL12500), what (1) financial, (2) administrative, (3) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and (4) other Government department or agency, support is given to Trade Envoys.

The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy programme is financially supported and managed solely by the Department for International Trade (DIT). The Department meets all travel and subsistence costs associated with the role, as well as any other incidental costs incurred by Trade Envoys to fulfil their duties. All costs incurred are subject to the Department’s guidelines, which apply to the programme’s use of public funds.

Trade Envoys work closely with colleagues in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and HM Trade Commissioners, who provide market and business intelligence and logistical support when visits are made. Trade Envoys are deployed where they can add the most value, which includes supporting Her Majesty’s Government’s wider overseas objectives when appropriate.