The Family Photo

At every international summit or big formal meeting there is a session set aside for what is called the "Family Photo" .

I was a bit surprised by that term when I first saw it on a programme but all it means is that the participants line up to be filmed by TV and photographed by the papers . There is usually also an official government photographer present.

Sometimes the formal photograph is later distributed to those who have taken part - I have a particularly good one from the first Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Event I attended in New Delhi in February 2000, which was also the first time the new Scottish Parliament had been represented at such a thing. I also like the one that came out of the OECD Teaching Summit in New Zealand in March 2014, which has both a formal and informal version.

At the British Irish Council the delegation leaders from the U.K. , Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey get pictured together first as seen here and then the other Ministers join in .

It was a lovely day in South Wales and for once the family photo was taken out of doors , on the terrace of the Vale Country Resort where the meeting had been held and where Ministers had spent the night.