§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been able to assess the results of the seismic survey for hydrocarbons which was commissioned last year in the South-West Atlantic including the area around the Falkland Islands.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)My Lords, we have now received the data from the two companies who were authorised to carry out surveys of the Continental Shelf around the Falkland Islands. The work of evaluation has now begun.
§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. Can he tell us the names of the two companies which have carried out the surveys, and also by whom they were contracted to do them?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, yes, certainly. It was last year that Her Majesty's Government and the Falkland Islands Council authorised two companies, Texas Instruments and Western Geophysical, to survey the area of the Continental Shelf around the Falkland Islands. Consent was, of course, conditional upon the companies making their seismic data available free of charge to the Governments.
§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord 110 for that reply, are we to understand that this was in no sense under contract jointly to the Argentinian Government? Also, can he say whether the area surveyed was indeed that of the Malvinas Basin, or can he describe in any other way the area covered?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, without notice I could not define precisely the area of the survey, but that is a point of fact on which I hope to satisfy the House, and in particular the noble Earl. On the first point, certainly not; this survey was commissioned by Her Majesty's Government, but, of course, the two companies concerned are free to sell the information on commercial terms to whoever applies to them for it. I understand that the Argentinian Government have availed themselves of this information independently of us, but on terms different from that which I have just described as appertaining to Her Majesty's Government.
§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, am I right in understanding from that that the Argentinian Government are making their own appraisal of the value of the survey and its results?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, exactly; I should have said that. We are having our own evaluation made of the two surveys, in particular of one of them. No doubt the Argentinian Government will be evaluating the data which have been made available to them separately by one or both of the survey companies concerned.
§ Baroness ELLESMy Lords, did the Minister say that the Government had "commissioned" these firms to do this work? Therefore, are the Government paying for these surveys?—because he said that they were getting their reports free from these two companies. I should be grateful if the Minister could clarify whether or not the Government are paying for this information and, if so, tell us how much?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I am grateful for that intervention which enables me perhaps to qualify the word "commissioned" or to use instead the word "authorised." Last year the British Government authorised the two 111 companies I mentioned to engage in these surveys, the condition being that they made their seismic data available to us free of charge.
§ The EARL of LAUDERDALEMy Lords, perhaps the Minister will undertake to lay in the Library of the House, or give in a Written Answer to a Question, a statement giving the area covered by the surveys? Will he undertake to do that?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I indicated earlier that I would seek to do that, and I shall do it in the way in which the noble Lord has indicated. Possibly he might consider putting down a Question for Written Answer, and I shall see what I can do.
§ Lord HAILSHAM of SAINT MARY-LEBONEMy Lords, shall we ever be let into the secret of what was there?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, we can all live in hope.