Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which groups of Chagossians he has met with; and when he met them.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As Minister for the Overseas Territories, I have met with members of the Chagossian community on 30 September and 3 October, and officials have also been in regular contact with Chagossians on a range of issues. We recognise the importance of the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago to Chagossians and have worked to ensure the sovereignty agreement reflects their interests.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39405 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, on what date he plans to (a) sign the proposed treaty with Mauritius and (b) present that treaty to Parliament.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos Archipelago which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia. We continue to engage with Mauritius and are not going to provide a running commentary on the details.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025 to Question 46691 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether his Department has conducted a risk assessment on the possibility of foreign-aligned groups using the Chagos Archipelago resettlement programme.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There will be robust security provisions to protect the base, including a robust mechanism and review process to ensure no activity in the other islands can impinge upon base operations, as well as a prohibition on the presence of foreign security forces on the outer islands, either civilian or military.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK’s right to extend the 99-year lease on the Chagos Islands was renegotiated with the government of Mauritius in the period between his Oral Statement of 7 October 2024 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations, Official Report, column 45, and the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25391 on Diego Garcia: Military Bases.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As we and Mauritius have repeatedly said, including in joint statements on 20 December and on 13 January, both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos Archipelago which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia. The Treaty will last for an initial 99 years and may be extended for a further 40 years (and beyond) by agreement between the UK and Mauritius - after 99 years, the UK will also have the right to first refusal on the use of Diego Garcia which, if exercised, would prevent the use of the base by any other party. We continue to engage with Mauritius and are not going to provide a running commentary on the details.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the proposed agreement with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands contains a clause allowing other States to use the allocated electromagnetic spectrum in the British Indian Ocean Territory; and what steps his Department is taking to help prevent risks to the Automated Digital Network System 3.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Details of the Treaty agreed between the UK and Mauritius will come before Parliament for scrutiny in the usual manner following its signature. We routinely assess the range of potential threats to the operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January to Question 25988 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, how much has been spent on the Chagos Islands negotiations by his Department.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The costs to which I referred in the Answer to Question 25988 have not been centrally aggregated between Departments or within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The negotiations began in 2022, and to identify the costs would incur disproportionate expense.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date was the most recent draft of the proposed treaty with Mauritius on the British Indian Ocean Territory agreed between both the UK and Mauritian Governments.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As we and Mauritius have repeatedly said, including in joint statements on 20 December 2024 and on 13 January, both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos Archipelago which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia. We continue to engage with Mauritius and are not going to provide a running commentary on the details.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37762 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Seas and Oceans, whether the Marine Protected Area established by Mauritius under the terms of the agreement between the UK and Mauritius will be supported by his Department's Blue Belt Programme.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The enhanced partnership will prioritise high conservation standards, with the UK supporting Mauritius' ambitions to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that protects the globally significant ecosystems in the Chagos Archipelago. Further engagement on the details of the MPA will take place as part of the implementation of the Agreement post-signature.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Mauritian counterpart on the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the Mauritian Prime Minister on 23 July to discuss the continuation of negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago.
On 3 October the UK and Mauritius reached a political agreement on the sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) / Chagos Archipelago. This agreement secures the effective operation of the vital UK-US military base on Diego Garcia well into the next century. Following Mauritian elections, the Government will move towards Treaty signature and ratification.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 32981 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether provisions for the continuation of the current marine protected area are included in the proposed treaty with Mauritius; and if the proposed treaty includes restrictions on fisheries activities.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The agreement will be supported by an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius on conservation. This partnership will prioritise high conservation standards, with the UK supporting Mauritius' ambitions to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that protects the globally significant ecosystems in the Chagos Archipelago. The Treaty reflects both Parties' shared commitment to uphold international environmental law, ensuring high conservation standards across the Archipelago in line with global frameworks, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.