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 Mauritian counterpart on maintaining the British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area; and what representations he has received from his Mauritian counterpart on fishing (a) activities and (b) rights in the territorial waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory (i) now, (ii) in the future and (iii) in the proposed UK-Mauritius Treaty.

The UK and Mauritius are committed to cooperating on combatting environmental threats such as illegal fishing, with a shared objective of protecting of the world's most important marine environments. This will include the establishment of a new Mauritian Marine Protected Area after entry into force of the Agreement.

Before the signature and ratification of the Agreement, we have no plans to change the British Indian Ocean Territory marine protected area which is fully compatible with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea obligations.

The British Indian Ocean Territory Administration operates a system of permits to control access to and activities within the Marine Protected Area. We also work closely with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to limit illegal fishing.