Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Mauritian Government on whether steps will be taken against the Japanese firm responsible for causing the Mauritian oil spill in August 2020.

The UK Government is in close contact with the Mauritian Government on providing support to monitor and limit the impact of the oil spill. In phone calls with the Mauritian Foreign Minister on 14 and 19 August, I offered the UK's support and asked Mauritius how best we could assist in the aftermath of the spill. The UK subsequently deployed three ecology experts from the UK's Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, and an additional expert to provide legal and technical advice to assist with the safe disposal of the stricken ship. I spoke to the UK experts in-country on 3 September to hear first-hand how their work is contributing to managing the environmental impacts of the disaster. Any action against the Japanese owners of the breached vessel is a matter for the Government of Mauritius. There are recognised international systems in place for pursuing liability and compensation.