Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take further steps to support Chagossians in (a) the UK, the (b) Seychelles and (c) Mauritius to (i) find employment and (ii) preserve their heritage.

The British Government announced in November 2016 that it would implement a support package worth approximately £40 million over ten years to provide Chagossians in the communities in which they currently live (predominantly the United Kingdom, Mauritius and Seychelles) with tangible life chances. The package focuses on improved access to health and social care, better education and employment opportunities, cultural conservation and an expanded programme of visits to BIOT for Chagossians. English language courses for Chagossians in Mauritius are proving successful in terms of early interest, registration and attendance. In the United Kingdom we are offering English language courses to Chagossians, as well as officially recognised statements that benchmark internationally attained qualifications against the UK skills framework. Further projects will be developed in Mauritius, United Kingdom and Seychelles in the areas for which the support package is intended.