Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Turkey on trade union freedoms in that country.

We have long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of assembly. His Majesty's Government has no locus to intervene in Turkish domestic legal cases but our Embassy in Ankara frequently monitors high-profile trials, including recent trials regarding workers' rights and unions. We will continue to raise specific cases with the Turkish government and through the Council of Europe.