Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he held meetings with representatives of the Chagossian community in the period between his appointment as Foreign Secretary and 7 October 2024.

As Minister for the Overseas Territories, I have met with members of the Chagossian community twice since the election. The Foreign Secretary has not yet had the opportunity to do so. We recognise the importance of the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago to Chagossians and we have put their interests at the heart of this Agreement.  Under this agreement, Mauritius will (for the first time) be free to develop a resettlement programme on the islands, other than Diego Garcia. We will also finance a new trust fund for Mauritius in support of Chagossians, as well as increase our support to Chagossians in the UK and around the world, through new and existing projects. All Chagossians remain eligible for British citizenship & to make home in UK. Mauritius and the UK will now work to start a new programme of visits for Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia.