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Written question asked by Lord Luce (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 3 March 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 17 March 2020. It was answered by Baroness Sugg (Conservative) on Monday, 9 March 2020 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in discussions with the government of Mauritius on an overall resolution to the issues concerning (1) the future of the Chagos Islands, and (2) the resettlement of the Chagos Islanders, since the Prime Minister met the Prime Minister of Mauritius on 20 January.

Answer

The Prime Minister had a discussion with Prime Minister Jugnauth, which included the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), when he attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London in January. We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA).

We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the territory of BIOT, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. We have made a long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.

In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. There remains no right of abode in BIOT. While resettlement is unrealistic the UK Government is providing a significant package of assistance to Chagossians to help boost their life chances and provide increased opportunities to participate in a rolling programme of heritage visits to the Territory

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2181
Session
2019-21
Subjects
British Indian Ocean Territory Mauritius Sovereignty Chagossians Resettlement
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk