Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, based on the £34.7 billion cost of the deal for the Chagos Islands calculated by the Government Actuary’s Department, how much of the total figure will be paid by his department (a) each year and (b) in total.

The £34.7 billion figure is incorrect. The correct figure is £3.4 billion, which reflects the real costs of a treaty that lasts 99 years, with an average cost of £101 million per year.

The treaty payments will be split between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.