Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the decision was taken to give responsibility to the Minister of State in the Cabinet Office, Lord Frost for supporting the co-ordination of cross-Government positions on trade issues; and when that decision was taken.

The Prime Minister appointed Lord Frost as Minister of State for the Cabinet Office on 1 March 2021. Lord Frost works closely with colleagues across Government, including the Department for International Trade, to maximise the benefits to the United Kingdom, both from the trade deal with the EU, and the UK’s newly independent trade policy. Full details of Lord Frost’s responsibilities are outlined on Gov.uk.

The EU Secretariat, based in the Cabinet Office, has been established to provide direction and coordination of the UK’s relationship with the EU and its member states. This unit integrates officials from Taskforce Europe and the Transition Taskforce.