Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of increasing the frequency of inter-department ministerial meetings about the UK Overseas Territories.

The Overseas Territories Ministerial Board (OTMB) which I chair already meets regularly, interspersed with official level meetings, and other ad hoc meetings as required between individual Ministers - to consider strategic and cross cutting issues affecting the OTs. We also meet cross-departmentally on the Polar regions with issues affecting relevant OTs in the South Atlantic considered in that format too. The OTMB last met on 12 February 2026. We will continue to keep the level of cross-government ministerial engagement on the Overseas Territories under review.