§ Sir Nigel Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if agreement has been reached between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Mauritius over assistance to the Ilois resettled in Mauritius from the Chagos Archipelago; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. OnslowI am glad to say that the agreement initialled last March was formally signed in Port Louis on 7 July. Under it, Her Majesty's Government will make an ex-gratia payment of £4 million to the Mauritius Government in full and final settlement of all Ilois claims. The Mauritius Government will for their part make available to the Ilois and the Ilois community in Mauritius land to the value of £1 million. The money will be administered by a Board of Trustees to be established by 357W an Act of the Mauritius Parliament. Entry into force of the agreement is still subject to internal proceedings by both Governments. Parliamentary approval for the expenditure will be sought in a supplementary Estimate in due course.
The Government welcome the opportunity this agreement gives to enable the Ilois community to become more fully integrated into Mauritius society. The agreement in no way affects sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, which remains British.