Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department takes to ensure that at least one official from her Department is present during all (a) meetings and (b) phone calls relating to Government business between Ministers and third parties.

It is standard practice for FCDO Ministers holding meetings or telephone calls on government business to be routinely accompanied by their private secretary or another official, in line with the expectations of paragraph 8.14 of the Ministerial Code.