Written questions by Francois.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 6(e) of Annex 1 of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), what steps his Department would be able to take under the Agreement if the Government of Mauritius breached the terms of the Agreement.

Both sides have negotiated this Agreement in good faith and we are confident that Mauritius intends to uphold it in full, just as we will. Were an issue to arise in relation to the interpretation or application of the Agreement, that would be resolved in accordance with the dispute settlement provisions in the treaty.   While any disputes were being resolved, the Agreement would remain in force and we would have the full legal basis to continue to exercise all the rights and authorities necessary for the operation of the base, as well as the legally binding protections to keep our adversaries out of the area.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 8 of Annex 2 of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), if he will set out the facilities his Department will provide to support law enforcement officials of the Government of Mauritius in Diego Garcia as defined in Article 19 of the Agreement.

The UK will support the exercise of jurisdiction of Mauritius on Diego Garcia over (i) Mauritian nationals who are not members of UK armed forces or of US personnel, and (ii) all persons not connected to the operation of the Base. This ensures that Mauritius has jurisdiction over any future illegal migration to the island, closing off a dangerous immigration route to the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 2 of Annex 1 of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), through what mechanism his Department will expeditiously inform the Government of Mauritius of an armed attack emanating from Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia; and what steps he will take to ensure that the disclosure of such information does not compromise operations.

Any notification will take place after the event and will not require the UK to divulge sensitive information. Agreement to inform a host nation is standard practice in many such arrangements, while the UN Charter itself has a requirement to notify the UN of military action taken in self-defence.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 5(2) of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse supporting the Government of Mauritius in (a) establishing and (b) managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area over the next ten years.

The Blue Belt Programme, which is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office, currently supports BIOT to manage the current Marine Protected Area. As the Treaty states, the terms of the management and support provided by the UK to Mauritius to establish and manage the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 11 of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), what oversight the UK plans to ensure the Government of Mauritius will use the grants to (a) promote the ongoing economic development and (b) welfare of (i) Mauritius and (ii) its people.

Full details of the mechanisms of use for the development framework grant will be agreed between the UK and Mauritius during the implementation period, before the first payment of the grant in year 4 of the Agreement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 3(3) of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), how his Department plans will co-operate with the Government of Mauritius on trafficking in narcotics; and what estimate has he made of the cost to the public purse of such co-operation over the next ten years.

The new UK-Mauritius Strategic Partnership Framework will provide a comprehensive mechanism for delivering for the UK and Mauritius, including on areas such as narco-trafficking. UK and Mauritian Ministers will meet in the coming months to finalise the partnership and will then meet in an Annual Strategic Dialogue. This will review and keep evolving the Framework as necessary to support the security and prosperity of our countries into the future.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), what steps he has taken to protect the UK from legal claims having recognised the wrongs of the past in the preamble to that Agreement.

This government and previous governments have repeatedly stated we deeply regret the way Chagossians were removed from the Islands. The UK provided compensation in the 1980s that courts have ruled was paid in full and final settlement. The Agreement will increase support to Chagossian communities. The Agreement also provides that it constitutes full and final settlement of all claims by Mauritius in relation to the Chagos Archipelago.There are no provisions within the treaty for Mauritian officials to be based on Diego Garcia, however Mauritians can work on Diego Garcia, subject to appropriate security protocols.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK-Mauritius Treaty on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands will be signed before the House rises for summer recess.

The Treaty was signed on 22 May and secures the long-term operation of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. A copy of the Treaty was deposited in the House and can be found at the following link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukmauritius-agreement-concerning-the-chagos-archipelago-including-diego-garcia-cs-mauritius-no12025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 48367, what his Department's timeline is for implementing that robust mechanism review process; what steps his Department is taking to implement it; and which bodies will oversee its implementation.

Once the treaty is signed it will be put before both Houses for scrutiny before ratification in the usual way.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025 to Question 46691 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, what vetting process will be used to determine participation in the resettlement programme.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to his previous Question, 48365.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025 to Question 46691 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether resettlement will be limited to the Chagossian diaspora; and what criteria will be used to determine eligibility for participation.

This agreement will enable Mauritius to develop a programme of resettlement on the islands, other than Diego Garcia. The terms of resettlement will be for Mauritius to determine.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025 to Question 46691 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether he plans to report to Parliament on the programme of resettlement on islands other than Diego Garcia.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to his previous Question, 48365.

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.

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.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Chagossian diaspora in (a) the Seychelles, (b) Mauritius and (c) other areas are actively (i) consulted and (ii) included in decisions regarding the potential resettlement programme on the Chagos Archipelago.

The negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius with our priority being to secure the continued security of and full operation of the base on Diego Garcia. However, we have worked hard to ensure this agreement reflects the importance of the islands to Chagossians. The UK will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius to use in support of the Chagossian community and Mauritius will be able to develop a programme of resettlement on the islands other than Diego Garcia. We will continue to engage Chagossians in the UK and around the world on the implementation of the agreement at both an official and Ministerial level.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has received formal representations from the Government of Mauritius on additional financial compensation under the proposed Chagos Islands agreement.

The overall quantum of the cost of the deal has not changed from what was originally negotiated under the previous Mauritian Prime Minister.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Treaty of Pelindaba, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the transfer of sovereignty over Diego Garcia to Mauritius on restrictions on nuclear weapons at the UK-US base.

As with his previous PQ 44207, I refer the Hon Member to the response given to his PQ 18902, which remains the same.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Treaty of Pelindaba, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the transfer of sovereignty over Diego Garcia to Mauritius on the (a) storage, (b) deployment and (c) transit of (i) nuclear weapons and (ii) nuclear-powered vessels at the UK-US base.

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to his earlier PQ 18902, which remains the same.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that activities on the outer Chagos islands do not impact the operation of Diego Garcia.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Urgent Question on the British Indian Ocean Territory on 2 April 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how he plans to (a) monitor and (b) enforce the prohibition on the presence of foreign security forces on the outer Chagos islands.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Urgent Question on the British Indian Ocean Territory on 2 April 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria was used to select Dapo Akande KC to represent Britain at the International Court of Justice in the 2026 election.

Members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration from each contracting State form "National Groups". Under the International Court of Justice (ICJ) statute, national groups are entitled to nominate candidates for election to the ICJ and should consult its highest court of justice and academia before doing so.The independent UK National Group intends to nominate Professor Dapo Akande as the UK candidate for the 2026 ICJ election.  Professor Akande was selected following a robust selection process based on merit which is independent of Government.The UK Government is delighted to support Professor Dapo Akande's nomination. Professor Akande is an elected member of the International Law Commission and a renowned legal scholar and practitioner. He is an outstanding candidate who would make a formidable judge on the ICJ.  Professor Akande's nomination reflects the UK's firm commitment to international justice, human rights and the international rule of law.