Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff in her Department worked in the trade negotiations group as of 18 July 2023.

As of 30/06/23 the Department for Business and Trade (ex-DIT only) had 527 members of staff working on free trade negotiations. Due to the recent Machinery of Government changes, this figure does not include staff from the former Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) who have transferred to the Department of Business and Trade. In addition, our headcount figures are updated monthly, and therefore the most recent headcount figure is accurate as of 30/06/23.