Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to take steps to make it easier for people in the British Overseas Territories to enter army officer training in the UK.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
British Overseas Territory Citizens (BOTC) are already eligible to apply to join the British Army and there are no restrictions on the numbers who can serve as Officers or Other Ranks. However, a UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) footprint is an integral part of the national security vetting process for joining the Armed Forces, and clearance levels vary depending on the rank and role applied for. Where an applicant, regardless of nationality, has not resided in the UK continuously for the required period prior to their application, additional checks may be needed.
For BOTC, the lack of UK residency can be managed through a residency waiver, which would include additional documentation being provided by individuals. Each case will be risk-assessed on a case-by-case basis, and successful BOTC applicants would be eligible for clearance but for a shorter period of time in the first instance. Once the individual is in the Armed Forces, they will build up a UK footprint which will then allow the necessary checks to take place should their clearance need to be extended, or they wish to be considered for further roles where a higher clearance level is required.
The British Army recruitment page sets out the eligibility criteria, including for those not resident in the UK that will require more checks.
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Overseas Territory, British Antartic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, Ascension & Tristan De Cunha, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri, Dhekelia and Episkopi in Cyprus and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to page 267 of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, published on 22 July, whether they will provide a breakdown of the aggregate proposed £132,940,000 support to overseas territories in 2025–26 by individual overseas territory.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As per programme management best practice, Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for individual Overseas Territories evolve during the financial year in line with their changing priorities. Current proposed allocations (which may be subject to further change) total £132.7 million:
Montserrat: £64.3 million
St Helena and Tristan da Cunha: £56.3 million
The Pitcairn Islands: £5.6 million
Further ODA amounts will be allocated throughout the year via cross-Territory programmes, including the Blue Belt initiative.
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, how much funding his Department plans to provide to each of the Overseas Territories in each of the next five years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) recently received its Spending Review (SR) settlement from the Treasury for the three years of the SR period (FY26/27 to FY28/29). Final decisions on funding for the Overseas Territories (OTs) in each of these years is subject to the FCDO's post-SR settlement multi-year internal allocations process which is expected to conclude later this year.
In the current financial year (25/26) the FCDO is providing up to £168.37 million of programme funding to the OTs:
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 34796 on China: Cook Islands, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that strategic agreement on (a) his policies and (b) the policies of the Overseas Territories in the Indo-Pacific.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK Government will continue its policy of working to maintain a free, secure and open Indo-Pacific where international norms are respected. As part of the UK Government's constitutional responsibility for the defence, external relations and internal security of the British Overseas Territories, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has considered the impact of the strategic agreement on the one Territory in the Indo-Pacific (Pitcairn). This constitutional responsibility is different from that between New Zealand and the Cook Islands. As the UK retains the responsibility for external relations of the British Overseas Territories, the Territories are not able to enter into bilateral international treaties.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23888 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Flags, which flags other than the Union and Ukraine flags have been flown by his Department since 5 July 2024; and what was the estimated cost was of flying those flags.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's flag flying policy is that any additional flags flown on the estate are considered on a case-by-case basis and must have a compelling reason for inclusion in the flag flying schedule. Since 5th July 2024, in addition to the Union and Ukrainian flags, King Charles Street has flown the following flags externally on the roof flag poles: British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Rainbow, International Day of Criminal Justice, Falklands, Tristan da Cunha, Gibraltar, Commonwealth, United Nations, British Indian Ocean Territory, St Andrew's Saltire, Pitcairn Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. All of these flags were held in stock and no cost was associated with flying these flags from 5 July 2024.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote governance standards on Pitcairn Island.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is working with the governments of the Overseas Territories to achieve the highest standards in governance. In the Pitcairn Islands the Governor and Administrator are working with the Council to improve the delivery of public services. The Governor has commissioned a restructure of the Pitcairn Public Service to better service the needs of the community. The Minister for the Overseas Territories discussed the ongoing public services review with the Mayor of Pitcairn at the Joint Ministerial Council in 2024. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office undertakes audits of the budgetary support it provides to the Government of the Pitcairn Islands, for which a fiduciary risk assessment has recently been undertaken by PWC.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) officials from her Department and (b) police officers have visited Pitcairn Island in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I can confirm that no officials from the Home Office or UK police officers have visited Pitcairn Island in the last 12 months.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many criminal (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions have taken place on the Pitcairn Islands in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Government of Pitcairn hold the data on criminal prosecutions and convictions in the Pitcairn Islands.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials of his Department have visited Pitcairn Island in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The current resident Administrator is recruited by the FCDO. There have been two visits by FCDO officials within the last 12 months. The Deputy Governor (based in Auckland, New Zealand) visited the island in October 2023 and there was a visit by a Technical Works Officer in December 2023. The Governor visited in 2023. FCDO officials are in regular contact with their counterparts on Pitcairn Island. FCDO sponsored programmes are providing support virtually on matters such as healthcare and through visiting teams on issues such as environmental protection. I recently spoke to the Mayor and look forward to welcoming him to the JMC this month.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help support (a) primary and (b) secondary education for citizens of British overseas territories.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Education is a devolved matter and decisions about primary and secondary education is the responsibility of each Overseas Territory (OT). The department responds positively to direct requests from the OTs for support to enhance or reform their education systems by sharing information on approaches in England and facilitating opportunities to engage with policy and technical experts.
Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha are in receipt of Official Development Assistance through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which is used to assist their governments in the delivery of essential services including education. This includes funding for teaching staff and the FCDO work in partnership with the local governments to agree targets to improve outcomes and standards in education. Work is underway to establish partnerships between education teams in the OTs with counterparts in the UK, similar to the partnerships the FCDO have helped to establish on child safeguarding.
The FCDO funded capital investment programme in Montserrat has included improvements to building in the secondary school and equipment for schools in St Helena.