Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill — Amendment Paper: HL Bill 139-II(a) Amendments for Committee (Supplementary to the Second Marshalled List)

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean
Territory Bill
AMENDMENTS
TO BE MOVED
IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE HOUSE
[Supplementary to the Second Marshalled List]
Clause 1 Amendment
No.
LORD LILLEY
20T★ _ Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert “, subject to subsection (2A).
(2A) Sections 2 to 4 of this Act do not come into force until the duties in section (Joint
UK–Mauritius Parliamentary Commission) have been discharged.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment, connected with another in the name of Lord Lilley, seeks to ensure that the
sections 2 to 4 of the Act only come into force once the Secretary of State has sought to establish
a Joint UK-Mauritius Parliamentary Commission.
LORD LILLEY
20U★ _ Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert “, subject to subsection (2A).
(2A) Sections 2 to 4 of this Act do not come into force until the duty outlined in
subsection (2B) has been fulfilled.
(2B) The Secretary of State must publish a report on how the Treaty may increase any
political or legal risks related to—
(a) reliance on third countries required to service the base;
(b) risks of litigation from Mauritius regarding the base in Diego Garcia in
the International Court of Justice, including analysis of Mauritius’
declarations of 23 September 1968;
(c) risks of litigation in an arbitral tribunal under Annex VII of UN Convention
on the Law of the Sea.”
59/1 HL Bill 139—II(a)

Member's explanatory statement
This amendment seeks to prevent sections 2 to 4 from coming into force until the Government has
published a report on how the Treaty may increase political or legal risks.
After Clause 4
BARONESS HOEY
50B★ _ After Clause 4, insert the following new Clause—
“Recognition of the Chagossian people
(1) The Chagossian people shall be recognised in the law of the United Kingdom as
the indigenous people of the Chagos Archipelago for the purposes of implementing
the Treaty.
(2) For the purposes of this section, “the Chagossian people” means—
(a) those born on any island of the Chagos Archipelago prior to their
depopulation between 1968 and 1973, and
(b) the direct descendants of such persons.
(3) The Secretary of State must have regard to the rights, identity and cultural integrity
of the Chagossian people when exercising any functions under this Act.
(4) Recognition under this section is without prejudice to any right of return, right
of self determination or citizenship entitlement held by members of the Chagossian
people.”
Clause 5
LORD LILLEY
51BA★ _ Clause 5, page 3, line 40, leave out from “section” to “if” in line 41 and insert “may not be
made unless a draft of the Order has been laid before and approved by a resolution of
each House of Parliament”
After Clause 5
LORD LILLEY
81K★ _ After Clause 5, insert the following new Clause—
“Joint UK–Mauritius Parliamentary Commission
(1) The Secretary of State must engage with the Government of Mauritius with a view
to establishing a Joint Parliamentary Commission to oversee the implementation
and operation of the Treaty.
(2) The Commission’s duties include—
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory
Bill
2

(a) ensuring the recognition and protection of Chagossian rights, including
but not limited to—
(i) ensuring a right of return;
(ii) ensuring the right to self-determination via a referendum of all
Chagossians on the question of sovereignty is held by the UK;
(iii) access to compensation, resettlement, or other forms of support;
(b) considering the welfare, integration, and general needs of Chagossians
residing in the United Kingdom;
(c) reviewing any financial arrangements, including those supporting
resettlement, welfare, or the development of the Chagossian community.
(3) In undertaking the engagement required by subsection (1), the Secretary of State
must make representations that the composition of the Commission should reflect
equal representation from the parliaments of the United Kingdom and the Republic
of Mauritius, and that its purpose should be to promote mutual understanding
of its duties under subsection (2) through dialogue and debate, including
consideration of the operation of the Commission.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment, connected with another in the name of Lord Lilley, seeks to ensure that the
sections 2 to 4 of the Act only come into force once the Secretary of State has sought to establish
a Joint UK-Mauritius Parliamentary Commission.
3 Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory
Bill

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean
Territory Bill
AMENDMENTS
TO BE MOVED
IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE HOUSE
[Supplementary to the Second Marshalled List]
24 November 2025
59/1 HL Bill 139—II(a)