Member

Finally, a referendum for the Chagossian people was debated in Committee and I know it was also proposed in the other place. Throughout our debates, the theme that has come up time and time again is that the Government have signally failed to consult the Chagossian people on any of this. The International Relations and Defence Committee’s short survey of the views of the Chagossians—another report that would be worthy of reading by the noble Lords, Lord Hannay and Lord Kerr—bore out just how strongly the Chagossians feel about this Bill. We on this side of the House are immensely grateful to that committee. I know it did not have much time to do its work, but it did its survey swiftly and effectively, ably supported by its excellent clerks, who I know worked very hard to complete the work in time. Incidentally, I will be interested in the Government’s response to that. I do not think we have seen anything from them yet.