Departmental Language Coaching

Mr. Philip Hammond
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided.

Dan Norris
In the last 12 months 13 staff members have received foreign language coaching at a cost of £11,643.90. The coaching is provided in French, Spanish and German.

DEFRA has significant involvement in the EU policy agenda and the provision of language training for appropriate staff helps ensure that the Department can engage effectively with its European contacts.

Ministers did not receive foreign language coaching.