Lords second reading. Agreed to on question. Bill committed to a Committee of the Whole House.

Lords second reading. Agreed to on question. Bill committed to a Committee of the Whole House.

My Lords, the purpose of this Bill is to cut through the fog of uncertainty that now hangs over the Chagos Islands to provide a fairer, clearer and more principled way forward for not simply the Chagos Islands themselves but,

perhaps more importantly, the Chagossians—and I am delighted that many...

My Lords, the purpose of this Bill is to cut through the fog of uncertainty that now hangs over the Chagos Islands to provide a fairer, clearer and more principled way forward for not simply the Chagos Islands themselves but,

perhaps more importantly, the Chagossians—and I am delighted that many...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Weir of Ballyholme, on tabling this Bill and on his brilliant introduction of it. It is a very good, comprehensive and comprehensible Bill. When a Bill is lucid, it is a symptom of the clarity and sensibility of the objectives enshrined in...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Weir of Ballyholme, on tabling this Bill and on his brilliant introduction of it. It is a very good, comprehensive and comprehensible Bill. When a Bill is lucid, it is a symptom of the clarity and sensibility of the objectives enshrined in...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Weir, on advancing this eminently sensible and timely Bill before the House today. It is also a great privilege to follow my noble friend Lord Lilley and to inform the House that I am glad to say that he has given...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Weir, on advancing this eminently sensible and timely Bill before the House today. It is also a great privilege to follow my noble friend Lord Lilley and to inform the House that I am glad to say that he has given...

My Lords, I would like to congratulate my noble friend Lord Weir of Ballyholme on introducing this Motion and on the manner in which he introduced it. It is very rare that we get second chances. Providence has provided us with one here, and I really hope that Ministers will...

My Lords, I would like to congratulate my noble friend Lord Weir of Ballyholme on introducing this Motion and on the manner in which he introduced it. It is very rare that we get second chances. Providence has provided us with one here, and I really hope that Ministers will...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Weir of Ballyholme, for introducing this very important Bill, which I support.

At the heart of this Bill lies the fundamental question: by what right can the British Government transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius without first obtaining the consent of...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Weir of Ballyholme, for introducing this very important Bill, which I support.

At the heart of this Bill lies the fundamental question: by what right can the British Government transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius without first obtaining the consent of...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow my noble friend Lady Meyer. Having been married to a former UK Ambassador to Washington, she understands what goes on in Washington. We should all listen carefully to what she said about the American Administration.

I support the Bill wholeheartedly and congratulate the...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow my noble friend Lady Meyer. Having been married to a former UK Ambassador to Washington, she understands what goes on in Washington. We should all listen carefully to what she said about the American Administration.

I support the Bill wholeheartedly and congratulate the...

My Lords, this has been a great, if somewhat one-sided, debate. It is quite sad that nobody from the Labour Benches or the Liberal Democrat Back Benches, not even their Front-Bench spokesmen, have bothered to turn up and give us their opinion on this Bill. Nevertheless, we have benefited from...

My Lords, this has been a great, if somewhat one-sided, debate. It is quite sad that nobody from the Labour Benches or the Liberal Democrat Back Benches, not even their Front-Bench spokesmen, have bothered to turn up and give us their opinion on this Bill. Nevertheless, we have benefited from...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Weir, on securing this Second Reading debate and bringing forward his Bill. I thank all noble Lords who have contributed to the debate for their contributions, which certainly reflect the deeply held views about this issue among noble Lords. I will try...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Weir, on securing this Second Reading debate and bringing forward his Bill. I thank all noble Lords who have contributed to the debate for their contributions, which certainly reflect the deeply held views about this issue among noble Lords. I will try...

How can an advisory opinion by a court, which can under no circumstances lead to a binding judgment by a court, undermine the security of the base? I do not understand that.

How can an advisory opinion by a court, which can under no circumstances lead to a binding judgment by a court, undermine the security of the base? I do not understand that.

I will come on to address that issue. Let me first return to what I was setting out, which is that, because of the legal position—which, as I say, I will come back to—negotiations were started by the previous Conservative Government. There were 11 rounds of talks, conceding the principle...

I will come on to address that issue. Let me first return to what I was setting out, which is that, because of the legal position—which, as I say, I will come back to—negotiations were started by the previous Conservative Government. There were 11 rounds of talks, conceding the principle...

Can the Minister identify what those other potential sources of judgments are, rather than just alluding to them?

Can the Minister identify what those other potential sources of judgments are, rather than just alluding to them?

There is a misunderstanding of the legal position on Article 298 of UNCLOS. This does not create an exemption in respect of military bases, but in respect of disputes concerning military activities. As I say, there are other routes through international legal judgments that could be quickly translated into UK...

There is a misunderstanding of the legal position on Article 298 of UNCLOS. This does not create an exemption in respect of military bases, but in respect of disputes concerning military activities. As I say, there are other routes through international legal judgments that could be quickly translated into UK...

My Lords, first, I want to place on the record my thanks to everyone who has spoken to this debate, including the Minister, who was given an unenviable, if unsurprising, position. The reality is that it was not only unsurprising but almost inevitable that the Bill before us today would...

My Lords, first, I want to place on the record my thanks to everyone who has spoken to this debate, including the Minister, who was given an unenviable, if unsurprising, position. The reality is that it was not only unsurprising but almost inevitable that the Bill before us today would...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government's policy on the right of overseas territory populations to determine their own political status applies equally to the Chagossian people as it does to the Falkland Islanders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government's policy on the right of overseas territory populations to determine their own political status applies equally to the Chagossian people as it does to the Falkland Islanders.

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult the Chagossian community as part of the recently announced review of the UK-Mauritius agreement in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult the Chagossian community as part of the recently announced review of the UK-Mauritius agreement in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

To ask His Majesty's Government how they are protecting Chagossians in light of the civil unrest in Mauritius.

To ask His Majesty's Government how they are protecting Chagossians in light of the civil unrest in Mauritius.

To ask His Majesty's Government which Chagossian contact groups they are consulting for support and liaison as a result of the civil unrest in Mauritius.

To ask His Majesty's Government which Chagossian contact groups they are consulting for support and liaison as a result of the civil unrest in Mauritius.

To ask His Majesty's Government what additional support is being given to the Home Office by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in processing asylum claims by Chagossians fleeing Mauritius as a result of the current civil unrest.

To ask His Majesty's Government what additional support is being given to the Home Office by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in processing asylum claims by Chagossians fleeing Mauritius as a result of the current civil unrest.

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the appropriate forum for legal challenges brought by Chagossians about decisions affecting the British Indian Ocean Territory.

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the appropriate forum for legal challenges brought by Chagossians about decisions affecting the British Indian Ocean Territory.