Falkland Islands (Hansard, 7 December 1977)

§ 1. Mr. Michael Clark Hutchison
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the gross national product of the Falkland Islands for the years 1974, 1975 and 1976; and what is his estimate for the current year.

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Edward Rowlands)
The gross national product of the Falkland Islands was £2.307 million for 1974 and £2.768 for 1975. No figures are available for 1976 or 1977. The colony lacks a statistics department and maintains only the basic statistics essential for taxation and cost of living purposes. Lord Shackleton's Economic Survey of the Falkland Islands gives the gross national product figures from 1965 to 1974. The 1975 figure is based on a projection of these figures. It would be misleading to project these figures further.

§ Mr. Hutchison
Does the Minister agree that the gross national product is not really static in the Falklands and that the greatest enemy to their future progress is the political uncertainty? Does the hon. Gentleman accept that there is need for diversification, and the extension of the airfield? Will he do his best to bring these things about?

§ Mr. Rowlands
The question of the islands' economy being static was a matter for reference in Lord Shackleton's report. It was he who in that report drew attention to the static nature of the economy. The greatest difficulty or bar to the development of the islands' economy is the dispute that exists between ourselves and the Argentine Government.

§ Mr. Corbett
Does my hon. Friend accept that one way to underwrite the assurances already given by Her Majesty's Government that no change will be made in the status of the Falklands without their consent and agreement would be for the Government to examine again ways in which they will enable the islands to get on with some of the developments that they want to carry out?

§ Mr. Rowlands
We are getting on with the job of trying to ascertain which development projects can be got off the ground within the islands. The much broader issue of resources around the islands is subject to economic cooperation with the Argentine Government.

§ 4. Mr. Donald Stewart
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on policy towards the continued independence of the Falkland Islands.

§ Mr. Rowlands
The Falkland Islands are not independent but are a United Kingdom dependent territory. There is no demand at present from their population of 1,950 people for independence.

§ Mr. Stewart
Does the Minister confirm having received a message from the new Legislative Council that it is opposed to any change in its present status? Does he accept that if there is any suggestion of making any change during negotiations with Argentina in the face of opposition from the people of the islands, it would be totally resisted by hon. Members in every party in the House and by people in every part of the United Kingdom?

§ Mr. Rowlands
I think that we have given full and adequate assurances, repeatedly, in the last few months that we will not bring anything to this House which is not acceptable to the islanders themselves.

§ Mr. Jay
Do I understand my hon. Friend now to have given the simple 1361 undertaking that there will be no change in the constitutional status of the islands without the consent of the people there?

§ Mr. Rowlands
I have repeated it over and over again. We will not bring anything to this House—this is the firm assurance I have given—which is not acceptable to the islanders themselves.

§ Sir Bernard Braine
In spite of that, the House continues to be mystified. Why are the Government negotiating at all with a Fascist-type dictatorhip about the future of a democratic British community? How does the Minister square that with his very proper decision not to extend economic aid to Bolivia, which has an identical régime? Does he share the concern so properly and firmly demonstrated by the United States over the continued violation of human rights in Argentina?

§ Mr. Rowlands
On the first part of the question, we are negotiating because, following my visit to the islands and by agreement with the islands council, it was decided that it was necessary to have negotiations on the economic and sovereignty issues. Otherwise we would let the stalemate of the position of the islands continue, and that would be a much worse prospect for the islanders themselves.

§ Mr. Grocott
Whether we are talking about the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, or any of the remaining small dependent territories of the Commonwealth, is it not important for the Government to have serious long-term strategy for them all, so that we at least have some idea of what we intend for their future?

§ Mr. Rowlands
Yes. I agree that there is a need for a comprehensive strategy towards all our remaining dependent territories, although each of them presents us with different problems. We have been working on this, and the process of accelerated decolonisation, where that is the wish of the people in those territories, is the basis of that policy.

§ Mr. Luce
May I welcome the Minister's reaffirmation of the fact that there will be no change in the sovereignty of the islands without the full consent of the islanders? Will the Government now give and demonstrate a 1362 proper commitment to the islanders by undertaking a full range of investment and development projects along the lines of the Shackleton Report?

§ Mr. Rowlands
We are endeavouring to do just that. A number of development projects are already in hand. One of the most important areas is in internal communications. Road building is now under active consideration, along with the whole question of the air services. In a number of areas, therefore, we are trying to implement the Shackleton Report.

§ 6. Mr. Thorpe
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will seek a declaration from the International Court at The Hague that Argentina has no valid claim in international law to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

§ Mr. Rowlands
No. Sir. In the absence of acceptance by Argentina of the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, the Court would not entertain an application by the United Kingdom for such a declaration.

§ Mr. Thorpe
I thank the Minister for that information, of which I was already aware. Will he confirm that Argentina has not accepted that part of the Hague Convention whereby it agreed to be bound by the decision of the International Court? Does this not shed some light on its lack of competence in international law in laying claim to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands? May we take it that the question of sovereignty is not a matter that the Minister regards as being for negotiation in his New York meetings later this month?

§ Mr. Rowlands
On the first part of the question, yes, that is the position. On the second part, I cannot say what the right hon. Gentleman wishes me to say. Sovereignty has been part and parcel of the terms of reference of the negotiations and will therefore be subject to negotiation in New York.

§ Mr. James Johnson
In view of the long-standing dispute with the Argentinian people on this matter, does the Minister think that a halfway house, or even a beginning house, could be joint efforts in commercial activities with the hope of better understanding each other? 1363 What is my hon. Friend doing about the joint Anglo-Argentinian effort on deep-sea fishing, for example, or on sea-bed exploration for oil?

§ Mr. Rowlands
These very issues are an intrinsic and integral part of the whole negotiations. They are not just about sovereignty they are about the whole issue of political and economic cooperation between Britain, Argentina and the Falkland Islands.

§ Mr. Hugh Fraser
Surely it is time the Government Front Bench realised the growing economic and strategic importance of the Falkland Islands and dependencies. The only way that we can strengthen this situation is by putting in the proper investment and implementing the Shackleton Report. Until then, the Government are hithering and havering and riving a series of ambiguous, totally disingenuous and unsatisfactory answers on this issue.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The right hon. Member for Stafford and Stone (Mr. Fraser) made a statement rather than ask a question. If everyone did that, it would be agony.

§ Mr. David Young
Will the Minister confirm that the Falkland Islands are insistent on maintaining links with Britain? Will the British Government maintain at all times their sovereignty over those islands unless a referendum indicates otherwise? Will he further see what economic co-operation can take place between Argentina and the Falkland Islands?

§ Mr. Rowlands
That is exactly what the negotiations are about. They are about the form of economic co-operation between Britain, the Falkland Islands and Argentina. Sovereignty issues are also involved. I repeat yet again that we shall not bring any proposals to the House unless they are acceptable to the islanders.

§ Mr. Ronald Bell
Is the Minister aware of the widespread opinion that the British Government would give away the Falkland Islands if the House of Commons did not constantly stop them? Will he cease exercising this pressure on the people of the Falkland Islands to accord with the defeatism of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office?

§ Mr. Rowlands
The hon. and learned Gentleman does a grave injustice and disservice to the islanders. They are a determined and resilient people and they will not be bullied by Ministers or the House. The negotiations are those that were arranged and agreed with the island councillors when I met them earlier in the year.