Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2021 to Question 148829 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Navy, which stated that the UK has a 12 nautical mile territorial sea in the Chagos Archipelago, when that limit was first claimed by the UK Government; and how information on that limit was promulgated by the UK Government.

The reference to 12 nautical miles refers to the Mauritian claim as put in the original question on 8 February 2020; a claim which the UK does not accept. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the opportunity to provide clarification. The UK claims a territorial sea of three nautical miles around the British Indian Ocean Territory.