Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff (a) are in the trade policy group in his Department, (b) will be joining that group and (c) will be in each civil service grade.

The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) trade policy group has a strong core of trade policy officials, which has quadrupled in size since June 2016 (from 45 to around 200) and is continuing to grow. This includes policy and country specialists, as well as expert economic analysts and lawyers. Moreover, around 100 staff are working in the Export Control Joint Unit, which includes staff from DIT, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence.

Recruitment for further trade policy staff is currently ongoing.