Speeches by Pollard.

“It is difficult to go further in answering the question due to the fact that we do not routinely comment on intelligence matters. If there were additional taskings placed on those aircraft—beyond just hostage rescue—I think the ability of those aircraft to deliver those activities would be more constrained. As a result…”

“It would not normally be a thing that we would look at in relation to this specifically because the tasking and our entire mission out of RAF Akrotiri is solely for hostage search and rescue. If there were to be alternative taskings based on a wider aspect, that would require a very different approach and may affect th…”

“The question is whether the data would be held in such a format that it would be able to identify that, because effectively—without going into too much detail—instead of looking at the landscape and geographies, it is trying to detect information that would pinpoint the location of individual hostages. In that respect,…”

“That is not the purpose of those flights—”

“It would not be normal for me to—the flights are solely for hostage rescue. Their intention is to use the technologies and capabilities to look at that. As a result, we do not look beyond those activities, and it would be hard for me to give out further details due to operational security.”

“If we are looking at the activities of the hostage search flights, that is solely with the intention of locating hostages, so all the activities of those flights are based on hostage location—to assist in search and rescue for those hostages. That is their primary and only tasking. We do not ask them to look at additio…”

“The RAF surveillance flights from RAF Akrotiri are solely for hostage rescue. They are designed to seek to identify the hostages that are being held, and then for a test to be applied to the information, if they are able to locate any, that says we will transfer that information only when we believe that the informatio…”

“We do not routinely collect information on the activities of Israeli planes, so we do not have a lot of that information that I can share.”

“Use of that would be a matter for the FCDO to assess. Routinely, the Ministry of Defence would not assess the operational use of military assets by partner nations, but the particular use and test of that would be an FCDO-led question.”

“They are seeking to do that, yes.”

“I would need to check the total number, and I can come back to the Committee, if appropriate, to release that information. As standard practice, we do not often reveal the flights or the frequency of flights. As these are unarmed aircraft, many of them will squawk and can be picked up on open source. Even though the MO…”

“I agree, and it is precisely the reason why the Conservative Government started the negotiations in the first place. You do not accidentally rock up one day to the Foreign Office and decide to start international negotiations; you do so because there is a clear risk to the future of the military base. That is why the C…”

“The legal analysis that this Government have received, and indeed that the last Government received, showed that the position of UK sovereignty over the Diego Garcia military base was putting the base’s operation at risk. The reason why the last Government began the negotiations was to secure the continuing operation o…”

“We are securing one of the most valuable military bases on the planet. We are securing our close intelligence relationship with the United States. We are securing a vital base for operations in the region. We are securing a vital base for allies. That is the key British objective. It was the objective stated by the pre…”

“I am going to finish my remarks on Chagossians, if I may. I hope that all Members of the House will recognise that the treaty is not just about the importance of the military base on Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia and the wider Chagos archipelago have a unique environment. I hope that protecting the world’s oceans is a poi…”

“I understand the argument that the right hon. Gentleman is trying to make, but I hope that he appreciates my argument that the calculation is based on the OBR’s inflation and deflation figures and on the social time preference rate. It is a figure that has been calculated and supported by the OBR, and it stands up to s…”

“For the last time, and then I need to conclude my remarks.”

“The Minister of State has met a full range of groups, including the group mentioned by the right hon. Gentleman.”

“That is precisely why my FCDO colleagues are working very closely with Mauritius to ensure that the money that is included in the treaty, and the obligations that both the UK and Mauritius sign up to in the treaty, are fully delivered so that the Chagossians receive what this treaty says they should receive. That is a …”

“To return to the issue of Chagossians, on which I am trying to make progress, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth and FCDO officials have met with the Chagossian communities. Under the treaty, Mauritius will now be free to carry out a programme of resettlement of the outer islands, and we have agree…”