Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what (a) country and sector policy specialist, (b) legal, (c) administrative, (d) compliance, (e) enforcement, (f) industry engagement, (g) budgetary and (h) other resources he has allocated to the Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation.

The Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) has recruited people with a wide range of professional experience from across government and the private sector to fulfil OTSI’s responsibilities of policy, licensing and enforcement of certain trade sanctions, and industry engagement, along with financial management, project delivery and business support specialists. OTSI is also supported by legal, analytical and digital experts.

OTSI is funded from the £50m Economic Deterrence Initiative (EDI) for 2023/24 and 2024/25. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is expected to publish more information on the EDI in the near future.