Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Kiribati counterpart regarding past UK nuclear weapons testing in that country.

Ministers have not discussed this topic with Kiribati counterparts. The UK government appreciates the importance of the biodiversity and cultural value of the many islands that make up the Republic of Kiribati including those affected by nuclear testing in the pre-independence period and acknowledges the Line and Phoenix Islands Integrated Development Strategy 2016-2036. The UK hopes that its increased funding for environmental and climate related initiatives in the Pacific region will be able to contribute to the achievement of this strategy in line with the needs of Kiribati communities in the islands.