Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to ensure that the current availability of visitation by UK Chagossians to their ancestral islands can continue after any transfer of sovereignty.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 23 June 2025 to question 59998.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Chinese ambassador on the case of Anna Kwok.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas, including in the UK. Although Anna Kwok is based in the US, the international warrant for her arrest underscores the ongoing erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
The Foreign Secretary has repeatedly raised the UK government's concerns about human rights in Hong Kong directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. We call on China to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on lessons learned from the France–Mauritius negotiations over Tromelin Island in the context of UK policy on the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The negotiations between the UK and Mauritius were to secure the future of the strategically critical UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The agreement between France and Mauritius concerning Tromelin Island is a separate matter.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the France–Mauritius sovereignty dispute over Tromelin Island on the UK’s negotiations with Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The negotiations between the UK and Mauritius were to secure the future of the strategically critical UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The agreement between France and Mauritius concerning Tromelin Island is a separate matter.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on the Chagos Archipelago of the agreement between France and Mauritius on Tromelin Island.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The negotiations between the UK and Mauritius were to secure the future of the strategically critical UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The agreement between France and Mauritius concerning Tromelin Island is a separate matter.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if it is his departments policy that Chagossian people must be assured of their right of abode within the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands) before any transfer of sovereignty.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 25 June 2025 to question 59999.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Overseas Territories on the Darwin Plus programme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In November 2024, Minister Doughty and Minister McCarthy met with the elected leaders and representatives of the Overseas Territories at the UK Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. The UK Government confirmed that it would continue to work in partnership with the Territories to support the protection of their unique environments and to help address biodiversity loss and noted their strong support for the continuation of Darwin Plus.
As set out in our previous answers to UIN 61101 and UIN 63667, Defra will be finalising plans to fund new Darwin Plus projects with applicants this summer. Whilst decisions have yet to be made on the totality of future funding available to Darwin Plus following the department’s multi-year funding commitment from HM Treasury, the department will engage closely with stakeholders to ensure transparency and support continuity wherever possible.
The department will provide updates in the usual way as soon as they are available.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to safeguard the (a) status and (b) interests of Chagossians in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the reply to his question 59998.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeline is for decisions on the future of Darwin Plus funding.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In November 2024, Minister Doughty and Minister McCarthy met with the elected leaders and representatives of the Overseas Territories at the UK Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. The UK Government confirmed that it would continue to work in partnership with the Territories to support the protection of their unique environments and to help address biodiversity loss and noted their strong support for the continuation of Darwin Plus.
As set out in our previous answers to UIN 61101 and UIN 63667, Defra will be finalising plans to fund new Darwin Plus projects with applicants this summer. Whilst decisions have yet to be made on the totality of future funding available to Darwin Plus following the department’s multi-year funding commitment from HM Treasury, the department will engage closely with stakeholders to ensure transparency and support continuity wherever possible.
The department will provide updates in the usual way as soon as they are available.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to maintain funding for the Darwin Plus programme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In November 2024, Minister Doughty and Minister McCarthy met with the elected leaders and representatives of the Overseas Territories at the UK Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. The UK Government confirmed that it would continue to work in partnership with the Territories to support the protection of their unique environments and to help address biodiversity loss and noted their strong support for the continuation of Darwin Plus.
As set out in our previous answers to UIN 61101 and UIN 63667, Defra will be finalising plans to fund new Darwin Plus projects with applicants this summer. Whilst decisions have yet to be made on the totality of future funding available to Darwin Plus following the department’s multi-year funding commitment from HM Treasury, the department will engage closely with stakeholders to ensure transparency and support continuity wherever possible.
The department will provide updates in the usual way as soon as they are available.