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1174499

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2020
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest policy on the Chagos Islands; and what assessment they have made of the UN General Assembly's resolution 73/295 Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, of 22 May 2019.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL959
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2020 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. We have 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><p>We were disappointed 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. The United Kingdom respects the ICJ and participated fully in the advisory proceedings in good faith. However, we do not share the ICJ's approach and have made known our views on the content of the opinion, including its insufficient regard to significant material facts and legal issues. The ICJ's opinion is advisory and not legally binding. Resolution 73/295 does not and cannot create any legal obligations for UN Member States.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 10/02/2020 13:09:35 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1141178

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the cancellation of the High Commissioner to Mauritius' annual party to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's official birthday on reaching a settlement on the issues arising from the UN General Assembly resolution 73/295 Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 of 22 May which demanded that the UK "withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Archipelago unconditionally within a period of no more than six months from adoption of the present resolution."
	tabling member printed	Lord Ramsbotham
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL17361
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2019 answer text <p>Queen's Birthday Parties are a celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's Birthday. They are an opportunity to celebrate the relationships between the UK and other countries.</p><p>Coming so soon after the unjustified and incendiary remarks made about the UK by the Mauritian Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly, it would not have been appropriate to have held one this year. A decision to cancel Her Majesty The Queen's Birthday Party was taken at Ministerial level.</p><p>We have no doubt about our sovereignty over British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. We have 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><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL17362 question first answered 30/07/2019 15:03:07 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	3744 label Biography information for Lord Ramsbotham

1182479

	registered interest
	date	03/03/2020
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in discussions with the government of Mauritius on an overall resolution to the issues concerning (1) the future of the Chagos Islands, and (2) the resettlement of the Chagos Islanders, since the Prime Minister met the Prime Minister of Mauritius on 20 January.
	tabling member printed	Lord Luce
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL2181
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2020 answer text <p>The Prime Minister had a discussion with Prime Minister Jugnauth, which included the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), when he attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London in January. We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA).</p><p>We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the territory of BIOT, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. We have 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><p>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. There remains no right of abode in BIOT. While resettlement is unrealistic the UK Government is providing a significant package of assistance to Chagossians to help boost their life chances and provide increased opportunities to participate in a rolling programme of heritage visits to the Territory</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 09/03/2020 17:37:31 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	908 label Biography information for Lord Luce

1201056

	registered interest
	date	08/06/2020
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the UN to update World Map 4170 to show the Chagos Archipelago as Mauritian territory; and what plans they have to comply with UN General Assembly resolution 73/295 on the withdrawal of the UK administration of the Chagos Archipelago.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL5378
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK notes that the designation of the British Indian Ocean Territory has been modified on maps produced by the UN, following UN General Assembly Resolution 73/295. This resolution is not legally binding and the UK voted against its adoption.</p><p>This modification by the UN does not alter, or determine, sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago and it makes no difference to the UK's position, which we have consistently made clear. The UK has no doubt about our sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. Mauritius has never held sovereignty, so 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. We stand by that commitment.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 22/06/2020 11:04:59 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1137086

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the United Nations General Assembly that the decolonisation of Mauritius has not been lawfully completed because the detachment of the Chagos Archipelago was not based on the free and genuine expression of the will of the people of Mauritius; whether they accept that decision; and if not, why not.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL16950
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>It is disappointing that Mauritius’ claim that the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is part of Mauritius, which we strongly refute, should have been referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by the UN General Assembly. It is an accepted international principle that States should not be compelled to have their bilateral disputes adjudicated upon by the ICJ without their consent. Circumventing this principle sets a dangerous precedent. BIOT has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. No international court or tribunal has ever found UK sovereignty to be in doubt. Mauritius agreed to the detachment of the islands in 1965, in return for certain benefits including a UK commitment, which we stand by, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. Mauritius affirmed that agreement numerous times following independence, and in March 2015 a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral Tribunal ruled the agreement to be internationally binding.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/07/2019 14:46:48 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1132633

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to reach an agreement with the government of Mauritius over the future of the Chagos Archipelago; and what consideration they have given to appointing an independent panel to lead exploratory negotiations about any such agreement.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL16411
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 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. The UK values its long standing relationship with Mauritius and is keen to continue to engage productively on this issue.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 01/07/2019 16:03:07 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1202676

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2020
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they have received the report of the United Nations Secretary-General to the United Nations General Assembly on the implementation of its resolution calling on the United Kingdom to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius by 22 November 2019; and if not, when they expect to receive it.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL5574
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The United Nations published the Secretary General's report on the 'Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965' on 12 June. The UK government has issued a statement following the publication of this report. A copy of the statement can be found at gov.uk, United Nations Secretary General's report on the implementation of Resolution 73/295: UK statement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 22/06/2020 11:06:06 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1124909

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the communiqué from the government of Mauritius on 30 April that the UK’s actions over the Chagos Archipelago are “in flagrant disregard of the … conclusions of the International Court of Justice”; are “an affront to the rule of law”; and have perpetuated “a historically wrongful act vis-à-vis the forcibly evicted inhabitants of those islands.”
	tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL15584
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>​I refer to the statement I made on 30 April 2019, <em>Official Report</em>, col HLWS1491. An International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion is advice provided to the United Nations General Assembly at its request; it is not a legally binding judgment. The Government respects the ICJ and has considered the content of the Opinion carefully, however, we do not share the Court's approach. This and former Governments have expressed sincere regret about the manner in which Chagossians were removed from the British Indian Ocean Territory in the late 1960s and early 1970s.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/05/2019 13:51:06 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

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
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	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
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	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