Department carrying the French range (9)
I believe the answer is:
selection
'range' is the definition.
(selection can mean a range or variety of things)
'department carrying the french' is the wordplay.
'department' becomes 'section' (section can mean a department or area).
'carrying' is an insertion indicator.
'the french' becomes 'le' ('the' in French).
'section' placed around 'le' is 'SELECTION'.
(Other definitions for selection that I've seen before include "Choice, pick" , "Horse tipped for betting" , "Act of choosing" .)