Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 29 April 2026.
Mike Wood
Opposition Whip (Commons), Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Jonathan Powell was subject to security vetting (a) before or (b) after he was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on the Chagos negotiations.
Stephen Doughty
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Yes0 people think so
No0 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.
Prorogation takes the form of an announcement on behalf of the Queen by the Lord Chancellor in which he reviews the session's work.
Prorogation brings to an end parliamentary business for that sitting. There are some excpetions as to what Bills can be carried over to the next parliamentary session.
House of Parliament 'Major Parliamentary Occasions - http://www.parliament.uk/works/occasion.cfm#prorog
BBC News A-Z Parliament - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/p-q/82524.stm
