Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in his Department have been allocated to deal with issues related to international trade in (a) each of the past five years and (b) the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

In 2017, three members of DfT staff were directly working on international trade. In 2018 and 2019 the Department significantly expanded staff numbers allocated to this area. Since 2020 there has been a specific Trade Division in the International Directorate, with fourteen staff dedicated to these issues.

Many other staff in the Department have diverse work portfolios which include international trade as a part. It is not possible to quantify exactly how many officials overall work on international trade issues within DfT.

The Government will continue to monitor and provide for an appropriate level of resource to meet demand in this important area.