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Diego Garcia: Military Bases

Asked by Mr Mark FrancoisConservativeMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 9 June 2025UIN 54646

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), what steps his Department is taking to ensure the storage of (a) fuel and (b) weapons in Diego Garcia as defined in Article 19 of the Agreement (i) comply with the environmental laws of the Government of Mauritius and (ii) maintain operational readiness.

Answered by Luke Pollard

The United Kingdom is not bound by Mauritian environmental law. Under Article 5, the UK will apply applicable international environmental law with due regard to applicable Mauritian environmental laws; this reflects the long-standing Defence policy of applying both our own and our host nations' environmental standards so far as it is reasonably practicable. Annex 1.2.ii explicitly puts the management of fuels, weapons and other hazardous materials under UK control.

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