Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the alleged misappropriation of funds through the sale of passports to foreign investors by members of the St Lucian government; and whether he plans to make representations to his counterpart in St Lucia on this matter.

We are aware of the risks associated with Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes as described in this question. They are a source of much needed development finance for several countries, but they can also pose challenges for both the host and third-party nations. As a result, the UK maintains ongoing dialogue with various stakeholders to address issues related to CBI and Ministers will seek to raise with their counterparts at events such as CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) and in dialogues in London.