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 all legal actions brought against them (1) by, or (2) on behalf of, Chagossians in (a) courts, or (b) tribunals, in England and Wales since 1998; and whether their assessment of these costs includes the staff costs of Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel working on these cases.

From the accessible records held by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the legal costs of defending all actions brought against HMG by or on behalf of Chagossians in domestic courts or tribunals since 1998 to present are £3,971,391.17.

This figure has not been adjusted to take account of costs awarded to HMG.

It is not possible to assess the staff costs of FCO officials working on these cases, as staff time is not recorded in this way.