Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department maintains a risk register of the UK-Mauritius Treaty over the future sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of activities by the Government of China in Mauritius on (a) future UK-Mauritius relations and (b) the future operations of the UK-Mauritius Treaty.

The agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, and is backed by our 5 Eyes partners, including the United States of America. This government secured all necessary safeguards within the treaty, including a prohibition on other foreign security forces, civilian or military - including those of China - from operating or otherwise establishing themselves on the outer islands. I refer the Rt. Hon Lady to the many answers she has received on this topic in the House and in answer to her previous questions.