Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 2 April 2026.
Greg Smith
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Transport), Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Energy Security and Net Zero)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Turkish counterpart on the pre-trial detention of Iain Guille, and what steps she is taking to help protect his welfare.
Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister of State for Europe, Stephen Doughty, has discussed Iain Guille's detention and welfare with his Turkish counterpart on two occasions, most recently in February 2026. UK Consular officials, in conjunction with their Canadian counterparts, have raised concerns about Mr Guille's welfare with the Turkish authorities, and will continue to monitor his health and welfare while he is detained, engaging with the relevant authorities as appropriate.
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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.
