Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether changes have been made to the mechanisms by which the proposed lease of the military base on Diego Garcia can be extended in the proposed UK-Mauritius Treaty since 3 October 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Treaty will last for an initial 99 years and may be extended for a further 40 years (and beyond) by agreement between the UK and Mauritius. The UK will also have the right to first refusal on the use of Diego Garcia which, if exercised, would prevent the use of the base by any other party.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) meetings and (b) discussions (i) the Prime Minister and (ii) his officials have had with their Mauritian counterparts since July 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministerial meetings with external organisations will be published in the usual way on gov.uk.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many counter proposals the Government has received from the Mauritian Government on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory since 3 October 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It would not have been, nor would it be appropriate to provide a running commentary on private negotiations, not least given the national security issues involved. When the treaty text is finalised and agreed, it will be laid before Parliament, which will be the right time for scrutiny and discussion.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has agreed any changes to (a) the proposed treaty and (b) financial arrangements connected to the agreement with Mauritius announced on 3 October 2024 on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the house I have said repeatedly that I will not provide a running commentary on this matter. We have reached an agreement with Mauritius, but the final text of the proposed treaty, as well as the financial arrangements are still being finalised and it is only when they are concluded that we will be in a position to put them before Parliament, in line with the normal procedures, for scrutiny and debate.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his next scheduled meeting is with representatives of the Chinese Government.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 13 February, the Foreign Secretary met the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, in London. The Foreign Secretary does not have any further meetings scheduled with representatives of the Chinese Government at this point.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) meetings and (b) discussions (i) he and (ii) Ministers from his Department have had with their Mauritian counterparts since July 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the then Mauritian Prime Minister in London on 23 July 2024, and negotiating rounds led to political agreement between the Prime Minister and then Mauritian Prime Minister on 3 October 2024. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for BIOT negotiations, Jonathan Powell, and Prime Minister Ramgoolam met on 25 November 2024. The Attorney General met with the Mauritian Attorney General on 16 January 2025, and I also had a separate call with the Mauritian AG on this date. The Prime Minister spoke with Prime Minister Ramgoolam on 31 January 2025. This engagement has been supplemented by numerous official level meetings, and joint statements from the UK and Mauritian governments were issued on 20 December 2024 and 13 January 2025. We do not hold a centralised list of all meetings relating to Chagos sovereignty, and the number of such meetings, and Ministers and senior officials involved, would make it disproportionately costly to put such a list together.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding he plans to provide to Mauritius as part of official development assistance programmes in 2025.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's ODA programme allocations for 2024/25 were published in a Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS421) on Thursday 6 February 2025. We are prioritising predictability and stability after years of turbulence. Ministers will consider ODA allocations for 2025/26 over the coming months, and we will publish them in the Annual Report & Accounts in summer 2025. The second phase of the Spending Review, concluding in late spring 2025, will set departmental ODA budgets for future years.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he shared with the US Administration a copy of the proposed Treaty with Mauritius over the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We shared the proposed treaty with the new US Administration upon their taking office. Our primary goal throughout negotiations is to protect the joint UK-US military base in Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional and international security. The UK has been working in lockstep with the US since the start of negotiations in 2022, including under the previous Conservative government. Given Diego Garcia's status as a key strategic asset, it is right that the new US Administration has the chance to consider the agreement.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister discussed proposals to (a) reduce the length of term of the proposed lease and (b) make changes to the financial arrangements for the proposed terms of the lease of the military base at Diego Garcia agreed with the Mauritius Government on 3 October 2024 during his phone call with the Prime Minister of Mauritius on 31 January 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the read-out of their meeting on gov.uk.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 implications for his policies of the announcement of the appointment of an interim president in Syria; and whether he recognises that position as a Head of State.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 29 January, Ahmed Al-Sharaa was announced as Syrian President for a transitional period. We welcome Al Sharaa's announcement that he will form an inclusive transitional Government, leading to free and fair elections. This is a critical moment for Syria's transition and we will continue to judge Al Sharaa on his actions.