Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Chagossian diaspora in (a) the Seychelles, (b) Mauritius and (c) other areas are actively (i) consulted and (ii) included in decisions regarding the potential resettlement programme on the Chagos Archipelago.

The negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius with our priority being to secure the continued security of and full operation of the base on Diego Garcia. However, we have worked hard to ensure this agreement reflects the importance of the islands to Chagossians. The UK will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius to use in support of the Chagossian community and Mauritius will be able to develop a programme of resettlement on the islands other than Diego Garcia. We will continue to engage Chagossians in the UK and around the world on the implementation of the agreement at both an official and Ministerial level.