Written questions by Patel.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with countries who signed the Gaza peace plan on disarming Hamas.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 October to Question 83047.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, If she will publish a list of all meetings between Jonathan Powell and (a) ministers and (b) officials in her Department during which China was discussed.

It has been the clear, consistent and longstanding policy not to provide details on any of the National Security Adviser's meetings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, If she will publish all (a) ministerial level contacts and (b) senior official level contacts between the UK and China since 5 July 2025.

Meetings between Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ministers and senior representatives of the Chinese government can be found through publicly accessible means either on GOV.UK or ministers' social media accounts. As per usual diplomatic practice globally, we do not publish details of all official level contact with China. This would not be possible for practical and policy development reasons.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has received from Chinese counterparts on the China Audit.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials speak regularly with the Chinese Government on a range of issues. The reaction of Chinese officials to the conclusion of the China audit is a matter of public record, and a statement from the Chinese Embassy spokesperson is available online.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with Chinese counterparts on the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme since 5 July 2024; and what discussions (a) ministers and (b) officials have had with Chinese counterparts on their embassy planning application since 5 July 2025.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials speak regularly with the Chinese Government about a range of issues.Decisions on which foreign powers will be placed on the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme are taken on a country-by-country basis, based on robust security and intelligence analysis.The planning application has been called in by the former Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the current Secretary of State will make this decision independent from the rest of Government corresponding to his quasi-judicial role.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department agreed with Mauritius to frontload payments under the agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will exercise all rights and authorities which are required for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the base. The agreement robustly protects the national security of the UK and our allies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the Chagos Archipelago on national security, in the context of trends in the number public officials in Mauritius trained by China.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will exercise all rights and authorities which are required for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the base. The agreement robustly protects the national security of the UK and our allies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when Ministers in her Department next plan to meet their Mauritian counterparts.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department agreed with Mauritius that the UK would not have the right to unilaterally extend the lease on the base at Diego Garcia.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department agreed with Mauritius that the UK would not be entitled to exercise sovereign rights and authorities with respect to Diego Garcia.

I refer the Rt Hon Member back to the answer I gave her on 22 September in response to Question 75282. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will exercise all rights and authorities which are required for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the base. The agreement robustly protects the national security of the UK and our allies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish all the estimates he received on the financial costs of the UK-Mauritius Treaty from the Government Actuary's Department since 5 July 2024.

The cost of the Diego Garcia military base agreement in today's money is £101 million while the net present value over 99 years is £3.4 billion. These figures have been verified by the Government Actuary's Department and draw on long-established methodology to account for long-term projects. Full details are in the Explanatory Memorandum which was laid alongside the Treaty.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of China's Gray Zone activities in (a) Mauritius, (b) the African continent and (c) the Indo-Pacific region on UK interests; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of those activities after UK-Mauritius Treaty comes into effect.

We are well aware of the tactics China have deployed in various regions, and these were taken into full consideration when the UK-Mauritius Treaty was being negotiated. This is one of the reasons that we ensured robust security provisions in the treaty. Both parties have committed to cooperate to prevent the base at Diego Garcia being undermined and to close consultation on any security concerns.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Minister for the Overseas Territories' answer to Q13 of the oral evidence session with the Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on 23 June 2025, when he will publish the costings of the financial implications of the UK-Mauritius Treaty.

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 66660.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date he agreed to remove the provision to provide the UK with a unilateral right to extend the 99-year lease for the use of Diego Garcia from the draft UK-Mauritius Treaty.

As we have consistently said, we are not going to provide a commentary on the negotiations, nor our implementation talks. The final, agreed Treaty has been laid in Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer given 3 September 2025 to Questions 69773 on Chagos Islands: Marine Protected Areas, on what dates implementation talks have taken place since 22 May 2025; and which (a) ministers and (b) officials were present at those meetings.

As we have consistently said, we are not going to provide a commentary on the negotiations, nor our implementation talks. The final, agreed Treaty has been laid in Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he will respond to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee's report entitled UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, HL 146, published on 25 June 2025.

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 75385. The response to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report will be published shortly.Ahead of ratification, the Government will make a ministerial Statement in both Houses providing a factual update on eligibility for resettlement and the modalities of the trust fund. This will enable further discussion in a proper manner.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 49 of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report on the UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, published on 25 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Chagossian Trust Fund.

I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer to question 75385. The response to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report will be published shortly.Ahead of ratification, the Government will make a ministerial Statement in both Houses providing a factual update on eligibility for resettlement and the modalities of the trust fund. This will enable further discussion in a proper manner.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department maintains a risk register of the UK-Mauritius Treaty over the future sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of activities by the Government of China in Mauritius on (a) future UK-Mauritius relations and (b) the future operations of the UK-Mauritius Treaty.

The agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, and is backed by our 5 Eyes partners, including the United States of America. This government secured all necessary safeguards within the treaty, including a prohibition on other foreign security forces, civilian or military - including those of China - from operating or otherwise establishing themselves on the outer islands. I refer the Rt. Hon Lady to the many answers she has received on this topic in the House and in answer to her previous questions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 5 of the treaty entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), when he last discussed with his Mauritian counterpart the future of the Marine Protected Area around the Chagos Archipelago; what discussions he has had with his Mauritian counterpart on the potential future fisheries opportunities in the waters of the Chagos Archipelago; what technical expertise the UK Government has provided to the Government of Mauritius on the future of the Marine Protected Areas around the Chagos Archipelago since 22 May 2025; whether the ODA budget will be used to provide the resources necessary to fulfil the UK’s obligations under Article 5 to provide support and assistance to Mauritius for the establishment and management of the Marine Protected Area in the Chagos Archipelago; and whether he has discussed with his Mauritian counterpart the (a) Mauritian domestic processes to establish a Marine Protected Area around the Chagos Archipelago and (b) the timescale within which the Government of Mauritius anticipate establishing a Marine Protected Area.

Prime Minister Ramgoolam has reaffirmed Mauritius' support for a Chagos Marine Protected Area (MPA), including most recently in his conversation with the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at the Oceans summit in Nice on 9 June. UK support and expertise for MPA establishment is part of discussions with Mauritius about implementation of the Treaty. We do not intend to provide a running commentary on these discussions, but, as per the answer to the Hon Member's question 64024, the UK will not be making any additional direct payments to Mauritius as part of this activity.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62582 on Chagos Islands: Sovereignty, what the annual payments were in dollars previously proposed; what the exchange rate was that the overall costs were estimated in; and and what estimate he has made of the net present value of those payments.

As per the answer to Question 62582, transferring the finance package into Sterling had no impact on overall cost but did reduce future foreign exchange rate risks for the UK.