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Trade Agreements

Question for Department for International Trade

UIN HL17181, tabled on 15 July 2019

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of a shortage of experienced UK trade negotiators during the Brexit process.

Answered on

23 July 2019

The number of negotiators required is dependent on how many trade agreements are ongoing at any given time and will involve teams of differing sizes, with expertise relevant to the specific chapters of sectors. The Department for International Trade has reviewed its resource requirements and continue to do so to ensure that it is sufficiently staffed. Since the Department was created its Trade Policy Group (TPG) has grown to approximately 700 people at the end of June 2019, bringing together trade policy, country specialists and experts on trade policy issues.