Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable and process for assessing whether payments made under the UK–Mauritius agreement on the Chagos Archipelago may be assigned as defence or security spending to reach the NATO target of 5 per cent of GDP; and whether NATO will play a role in assessing whether any such assignment qualifies under its guidelines.

The payments to Mauritius will be split between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. The NATO qualifying status of these costs will be considered in the usual way.