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 2025 to Question 25988 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, how much and what proportion of spend to date on the Chagos Islands negotiations will be borne by the (a) his Department and (b) the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Costs, including those of staffing, legal counsel, travel and accommodation and other expenses arising from the negotiations have been incorporated into the budgets of those Departments involved in the negotiations. There has been no central aggregation of those costs.
To go back over costs and expenses for the last three years in different parts of FCDO, different finance systems, and data that would have to be manually checked would exceed reasonable costs.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on the Chagossian people of transferring sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius; and whether the Government has made an assessment of the feasibility of establishing a protected reservation or similar arrangement on the islands to enable the return and settlement of the native Chagossian population.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have worked hard to ensure this agreement reflects the importance of the islands to Chagossians. We will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius to use in support of the Chagossian community. We will also work with Mauritius to start a new programme of visits for Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. Mauritius will be able to develop a programme of resettlement on the islands, other than Diego Garcia.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their position that British Overseas Territories should be governed by the principle of self-determination; and if so, how they have applied the principle in the case of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The right of self-determination applies to all peoples under international law, including those of the British Overseas Territories. The British Indian Ocean territory has no permanent population and has never been self-governing. The bilateral agreement reached between the UK and Mauritius on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago reflects this context and has absolutely no bearing on the wider UK government policy regarding our other Overseas Territories.
Mentions:
1: Lord Bellingham (Con - Life peer) they have to engage with the new administration in the United States to discuss the future of the Chagos - Speech Link
2: Lord Bellingham (Con - Life peer) Minister aware that, on independence, Mauritius was paid an extra grant to waive any future right to the Chagos - Speech Link
3: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) Secondly, on the issue of the British Indian Ocean Territory, yes, there were 11 rounds of negotiations - Speech Link
4: Lord Callanan (Con - Life peer) The forward to that report say that“our overseas military bases—so indispensable to British national - Speech Link
5: Lord Cromwell (XB - Excepted Hereditary) My Lords, the mean height of the Chagos Islands is four feet above sea level. - Speech Link
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement on British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations of 7 October 2024, Official Report, column 45, when his Department plans to publish further details of the (a) trust fund and (b) additional government support for Chagossians in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise the importance of the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago to Chagossians and we have put their interests at the heart of this Agreement. Under this agreement, Mauritius will be free to implement a programme of resettlement to the islands of Chagos other than Diego Garcia, and the UK will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius in support of Chagossians. I will endeavour to provide Parliament with further appropriate details, including additional government support for Chagossians in the UK, at the point that the Treaty is signed.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, Pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2024 to Question 7499 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether he Mauritian government may permit foreign direct investment into the Chagos islands.
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. It would be inappropriate to release further details at this stage.
Mentions:
1: Lord True (Con - Life peer) Specifically on security, did the Prime Minister discuss co-operation with the EU in the Indian Ocean - Speech Link
2: Baroness Twycross (Lab - Life peer) , the British Indian Ocean Territory deal is rooted in a rational and hard-headed determination to protect - Speech Link
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, Pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2024 to Question 7499 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether the agreement covers the employment of descendants of Chagos islanders on the base on Diego Garcia.
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. It would be inappropriate to release further details at this stage.
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 19 March 2025 to Question 36635 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether he has received proposals from his Mauritian counterpart on a new Mauritian Marine Protected Area (MPA); whether the area for the proposed MPA will be different to the existing MPA; whether a map of the proposed MPA will be published; whether the proposed treaty with Mauritius will contain provisions to (a) ensure a continuity of protection for the existing area covered by the existing MPA once the proposed change in sovereignty takes place, (b) maintain the existing MPA and (c) require Mauritius to implement a new MPA; and if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of supporting Mauritius in implementing a new MPA.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As per previous PQ answers, the agreement will be supported by an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius on conservation. That 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.
Mentions:
1: David Lammy (Lab - Tottenham) and the Republic of Mauritius reached an historic agreement on the exercise of sovereignty over the British - Speech Link