Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following bilateral discussions at the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), what plans they have, if any, to negotiate a diplomatic settlement with Mauritius concerning (1) the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, and (2) resettlement of those Chagossians who wish to return to the islands.

As close friends and Commonwealth partners we remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on issues of mutual interest, including the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago , which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the Archipelago and we do not recognise its claim. However, we have a long-standing commitment, first made in 1965, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.

In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. The decision not to support resettlement followed an independent feasibility study of the practicalities of resettlement (published in February 2015 http://qna.files.parliament.uk/ws-attachments/178757/original/Feasibility%20study%20for%20the%20resettlement%20of%20the%20British%20Indian%20Ocean%20Territory%20Volume%201.pdf) and a public consultation (results published in January 2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/biot-resettlement-policy-review-consultation).