HC Deb 22 October 2002 vol 391 cc196-7W
Jeremy Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure BIOT has undertaken on democratic representation of the Ilois people; and what is the current level of welfare spending. [74656]

Mike O'Brien

Although there has been no specific expenditure on welfare and democratic representation of the Chagossians (Ilois), the BIOT Government has funded the various stages of the recent feasibility study into the resettlement of the Chagos Archipelago, and had estimated £300,000 expenditure this year for the visit to the outer islands of the archipelago by the Chagossians in October 2002 which fell through due to the withdrawal of the vessel by the shipping company.

Forward to