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1175532

registered interest
date	03/02/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government will take steps to meet the terms of the UN General Assembly resolution on the future of the Chagos Islands.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	11685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2020 answer text <p>The UN General Assembly (GA) resolution relates to an Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Neither the ICJ Advisory Opinion nor the UN GA resolution are legally binding. We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the territory of BIOT, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. We have, however, made a long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 11/02/2020 16:27:17 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1151347

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to comply with UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/73/295 of 22 May 2019 which demands that the UK withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Archipelago by 22 November 2019.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	3626
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>We remain disappointed that this matter was referred to the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly. We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the Archipelago and we do not recognise its claim. We have, however, made a longstanding commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.​</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 28/10/2019 16:58:52 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1151352

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2019 to Question 115, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusion of the International Court of Justice that the right of self-determination was a norm of customary international law in 1965 when the UK detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	3628
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>We were disappointed that this matter was referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), contrary to the principle that the Court should not consider bilateral disputes without the consent of both States concerned. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom respects the ICJ and participated fully in the ICJ process at every stage and in good faith. An Advisory Opinion is advice provided to the UN General Assembly at its request; it is not a legally binding judgment. The British Government has considered the content of the Opinion carefully, however we do not share the Court’s approach.​</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 28/10/2019 15:47:47 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1151459

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the legal implications of the UN resolution on the future of the Chagos Islands.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	3686
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>The UN General Assembly (GA) resolution relates to an Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Neither the ICJ Advisory Opinion nor the UN GA resolution are legally binding. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over BIOT and we do not recognise its claim. We have, however, made a long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. The British Government remains concerned that the referral to the ICJ contravened the principle that the Court should not consider bilateral disputes without the consent of both States concerned. It is notable in this context that in the UN GA, nearly 80 member states did not vote in favour of the resolution. The Government has considered the content of the Opinion carefully, however we do not share the Court’s approach. Any action in the UN GA that seeks to cut across a bilateral dispute by specifying how or when a non-binding Advisory Opinion might be implemented should be of concern to all Member States.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher grouped question UIN 3687 question first answered 30/10/2019 17:00:44 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1151460

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to meet the six-month deadline set by the UN resolution on the future of the Chagos Islands.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	3687
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>The UN General Assembly (GA) resolution relates to an Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Neither the ICJ Advisory Opinion nor the UN GA resolution are legally binding. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over BIOT and we do not recognise its claim. We have, however, made a long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. The British Government remains concerned that the referral to the ICJ contravened the principle that the Court should not consider bilateral disputes without the consent of both States concerned. It is notable in this context that in the UN GA, nearly 80 member states did not vote in favour of the resolution. The Government has considered the content of the Opinion carefully, however we do not share the Court’s approach. Any action in the UN GA that seeks to cut across a bilateral dispute by specifying how or when a non-binding Advisory Opinion might be implemented should be of concern to all Member States.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher grouped question UIN 3686 question first answered 30/10/2019 17:00:45 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1151462

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with his Mauritian counterpart on proposals for co-management of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	3689
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. The United Kingdom remains committed to implementing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea Arbitral Award of 2015. In line with the Award we will continue to approach discussions with Mauritius with an open mind about the best way to meet our obligations under the Award and to ensure proper conservation management of this unique marine environment.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 30/10/2019 17:03:20 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1151463

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on claims the Maldives have made on the seabed around the British Indian Ocean Territory.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	3690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. As communicated to the UN Secretary-General at the time the Government considers that the submission of the Republic of the Maldives to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf of 28 July 2010 does not take into full account the 200 nautical mile Fisheries and Environment Zones of the British Indian Ocean Territory, both of which themselves respect boundaries agreed with the Maldives at a technical level. The United Kingdom is fully committed to formalising these boundaries with the Maldives at the earliest opportunity.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 30/10/2019 17:05:18 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1149011

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to maintain sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>​The United Kingdom remains disappointed that Mauritius took its bilateral dispute with us over the sovereignty of BIOT (Chagos Archipelago) to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an Advisory Opinion (AO). This is an inappropriate use of the ICJ Advisory Opinion mechanism and sets a dangerous precedent for other bilateral disputes. However, an AO is not a legally binding judgment, it is advice provided to the UN General Assembly at its request. And while the British Government respects the ICJ and has considered the content of the AO carefully, it does not share the Court's approach. No international tribunal has ever found UK sovereignty to be in doubt. We stand by our long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes, but strongly refute Mauritius' claim that BIOT is part of Mauritius. In the UN General Assembly we have been clear that any action that potentially compromises the current or future operations of the joint defence facility on BIOT should be of real concern to all States, given the important role it plays in regional and global peace and security.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 17/10/2019 15:57:17 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1149013

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which international legally binding agreements enshrine UK sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	117
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>​We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. The 1965 United Kingdom – Mauritian Lancaster House Agreement was a freely negotiated package that expressed the consent of Mauritius to the detachment of the Chagos Archipelago in return for certain benefits, including a sum of £3 million and a United Kingdom commitment to cede the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer needed for defence purposes. Internationally, Mauritian Ministers reaffirmed the 1965 Agreement on several occasions, at the highest level. The 1965 agreement was held to be legally binding by a UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitral tribunal in 2015.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 17/10/2019 16:02:50 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1149016

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further discussions he has had with the 80 member states that did not vote in favour of the UN resolution on the future of the Chagos Islands.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	120
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>The British Government engages regularly with all members of the United Nations. Many of those member states that did not vote in favour of the UN resolution shared our concern that Mauritius had circumvented the principle that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should consider bilateral disputes only with the consent of the relevant states. Furthermore, of the states that voted in favour of the resolution, some explained publicly that they had done so out of respect for the ICJ and not necessarily because they agreed with the substance of the resolution<strong>.</strong></p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 21/10/2019 15:13:09 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski