Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total cost to the public purse of defending the cases brought against them by the government of Mauritius before (1) the International Court of Justice, and (2) the tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The UK, alongside a number of United Nations member States, participated in recent proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). These proceedings were not contentious proceedings brought by Mauritius against the UK. Rather they were advisory proceedings following a request from the United Nations General Assembly for an advisory opinion from the ICJ.

From the accessible records held by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the legal costs incurred by the UK in defending the proceedings brought by Mauritius in an arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea were £1,505,720.00 (comprising Counsels' fees and arbitration fees which were shared with Mauritius).