Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 President Trump about the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary last spoke to President Trump in September, when they had a private dinner in New York with the Prime Minister. We do not disclose the details of private conversations. Regarding the future of Diego Garcia, it is right that the new US Administration has time to consider the detail of the Treaty in full and we will continue to engage closely.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Cypriot counterpart.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary met Cypriot Foreign Minister Kombos on 17 December 2024 to discuss recent developments, Settlement and the EU reset. I also spoke with Foreign Minister Kombos on 20 January to discuss recent developments on Settlement.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the annual difference between (a) the current cost of administering the British Indian Ocean Territory and (b) the proposed cost of leasing the Diego Garcia base from Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is established practice not to publish payments made for overseas military bases.
The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office provides funding to the BIOT Administration to help support the good governance of the Territory. In FY 23/24, the FCDO provided £29.3 million of funding.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 implications for his policies of the inclusion of Overseas Territories in the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government believes the UN Special Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (Special Committee) is outdated, and that it no longer has a relevant role to play with respect to the UK Overseas Territories.
For those Territories with permanent populations who wish it, the Government will continue to support requests for the removal of the Territory from the United Nations list of 'non-self-governing Territories'. Furthermore, the Government supports the right of the people of the Overseas Territories to address the Special Committee directly. In 2024, the UK supported representatives from the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and the British Virgin Islands to appear at the Special Committee's annual considerations of their respective Territories and stands ready to do the same in 2025.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Spanish counterpart.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary last met with his Spanish counterpart Foreign Minister José-Manuel Albares in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Luxembourg in October 2024 and was in touch with Mr Albares to express the UK's condolences and offer our support after the heavy flooding in Valencia later in October. I visited Madrid on 17th January 2025 where I had discussions with Foreign Minister Albares and my Spanish counterpart, Minister for Europe Fernando Sampedro.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Argentinian counterpart.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK Ministers and officials maintain regular contact with their Argentine counterparts, discussing a range of issues of bilateral importance, including economic growth, support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, and the South Atlantic. The Foreign Secretary last had a substantial conversation with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, on 29 November 2024.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what annual cost to the public purse is of the agreement with Mauritius on sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius on 3 October will, for the first time in 50 years, secure the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The base plays a crucial role in regional and international security. It is not normal practice for the UK to reveal the value of its payments for military bases anywhere across the globe. To do so could put at risk their future secure operation. Parliament will have opportunity to scrutinise the Agreement with Mauritius in the usual manner following its signature.