Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many consultants his Department has hired since 2016; and at what cost to the taxpayer.

The Department does not hold information on the number of consultants hired in any one year as this work is often commissioned as part of an outcomes-based contract to ensure value for money.

DIT reported spend on consultants in its Annual Report and Accounts as follows:

• 2016-17 - £0
• 2017-18 - £644,000.

The spend in 2018-19 will be published in this year’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Department for International Trade Annual Report and Accounts 2016 to 2017, page 49

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-international-trade-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017

Department for International Trade annual report and accounts 2017 to 2018, page 115

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-international-trade-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018