Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 3(f) of Letter No.1 of the Exchange of letters concerning implementation and interpretation of Article 11 of the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, dated 22 May 2025, of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) the likelihood of UK businesses being awarded contracts and (b) the Mauritius legal framework on procurement to facilitate contracts being awarded to UK businesses.

Full details of the mechanisms of use for the development framework grant will be agreed between the UK and Mauritius during the implementation period, before the first payment of the grant in year 4 of the Agreement.