Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much from her Department's budget will be used to fund the payments required by the UK-Mauritius Treaty in (a) the current financial year and (b) each of the next five financial years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers I gave her on 12 and 13 November 2025 in response to Questions 88232 and 88233.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has planned in her Department's budget resources to finance any expenditure required by the UK-Mauritius Treaty in the current financial year.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers I gave her on 12 and 13 November 2025 in response to Questions 88232 and 88233.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with her Mauritian counterpart on whether nuclear weapons can (a) be stored and be present on Diego Garcia and (b) transported to and from Diego Garcia under the terms of (i) the UK-Mauritius Treaty on the Chagos Archipelago and (ii) in accordance with Mauritius obligations under the terms of the Pelindaba Treaty.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 11 June 2025 in response to Question 57628.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will respond to the results of the survey conducted by the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on Chagossian views on the UK-Mauritius Treaty.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I thank the International Relations and Defence Committee (IRDC) for its swift work in producing the report. As the report acknowledges, there is a wide range of views amongst the Chagossian community. We are considering the IRDC findings carefully and will respond in the usual way in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help secure the disarming of Hamas in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with our international partners to ensure the implementation of the 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025, including Points 6, 13, 14 and 17, which relate to the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international counterparts on the extent of the tunnel network in Gaza used by Hamas; and what support she is providing to help dismantle those tunnels.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with our international partners to ensure the implementation of the 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025, including Points 6, 13, 14 and 17, which relate to the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 December 2025 on Chagossians and the Diego Garcia Base Treaty, HCWS1166, which British Chagossian associations will be eligible to submit recommendations for consideration to the Trust Fund Board members.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following extensive representations and engagement by this Government, the Mauritian Government has confirmed that a UK-based Chagossian will sit on the Board of the Trust Fund alongside representatives living in Mauritius and the Seychelles. The UK High Commissioner to Mauritius will also attend Board meetings.
We welcome these commitments by Mauritius which will ensure the Trust Fund reflects the full spectrum of perspectives within the Chagossian community. Further details, including the process for submitting recommendations for consideration to the Trust Fund Board members, will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether British Chagossians will be required to hold Mauritian citizenship to be eligible for resettlement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has been in talks with Mauritius to ensure that resettlement is open to all Chagossians. The Mauritian Government confirmed on 12 December that all Chagossians born on the Archipelago before 31 December 1973 and their children will be eligible for Mauritian citizenship and therefore able to participate in any future programme of resettlement. Chagossians will be able to hold both British and Mauritian citizenship. As of April 2025, 94 per cent of Chagossians with British nationality also had Mauritian Citizenship. All Chagossians will remain eligible for British citizenship under the current Citizenship Pathway.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has met with representatives of the Civil Military Coordination Center in Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 6 January to Question 101358.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held direct discussions with representatives from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with her Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. She has not held direct discussions with Major General Alian or any of his staff.