Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Mauritian Government on the raising of the Mauritian flag on the British Indian Ocean Territory.

We were disappointed Mauritius turned a scientific survey into a political stunt. The raising of Mauritian flags on outer islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory was an unhelpful way to approach a bilateral dispute. We have removed the flags and raised the matter with Mauritius Government officials.

The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814.

The UK and Mauritius remain close friends and Commonwealth partners. We remain open to dialogue on all shared issues of mutual interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA).