Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 5 June (HL6901), what specific criteria were applied, and by whom, to ensure that the gift of a sports club to the Royal Navy from the King of Bahrain did not compromise British independence in the region.

This Government takes the safeguarding of UK operational independence and sovereign interests extremely seriously. In the case of the sports facility generously gifted by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa to the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence fully considered the offer and found no cause of concern. The facility is located within the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain and remains under full UK operational control. It is intended solely for the welfare and morale of UK service personnel stationed in the region.