Foreign and Commonwealth Office written question – answered at on 7 October 2019.
Mike Gapes
Independent, Ilford South
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his Indian counterpart; and what was discussed at that meeting.
Heather Wheeler
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
We have regular contact with the Government of India at all levels. The Foreign Secretary met the Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar on 1 August at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bangkok. The Foreign Ministers discussed a range of issues including UK-India bilateral relations, regional issues and opportunities for the future. They have spoken on the telephone subsequently.
Yes3 people think so
No3 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
