The Falkland Islands and Argentina (Hansard, 1 July 1992)

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)
No, my Lords. I regret that Argentina has not dropped her claim.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that reply. Can she assure the House that in the circumstances Her Majesty's Government are making sufficient defence arrangements to make sure that if a second Galtieri-type putsch were attempted it would suffer the fate of the first?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his supplementary question. I can assure him that Her Majesty's Government remain fully committed to the defence and security of the islands. We have adequate resources. We hope that we shall never have to use them again but we would obviously be prepared to do so if the circumstances arose.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, can the noble Baroness say whether any arrangements have been made for Ministers to meet Ministers of the Argentine Government? Can she further say whether progress has been made on the issues of fishing rights and oil exploration?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, to answer the noble Lord's second question first, the issue of licences in the Falkland Islands control zone is decided by the Falkland Islands Government. The revenue from fisheries is doing well. It went up in 1991–92 to some £25 million. The fisheries income is being well used for secondary schools and other necessary needs of the Falkland Islands. Our agreement is certainly good. We also have an agreement with the Argentine to co-operate in order to preserve fish stocks in the South-West Atlantic.
I believe that the noble Lord will know that my right honourable friend the Prime Minister and the President of Argentina met at the Rio summit, very briefly, and there is a chance that the President will visit this country if relationships continue to improve.

§ Lord Swinfen
My Lords, my noble friend said that we would be perfectly prepared to defend the Falkland Islands if they were threatened again. Bearing in mind the size of the British merchant fleet, are the Government satisfied that we would have the capability of moving sufficient troops to the Falklands as and when required?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, to the best of my knowledge we are able to do so if necessary. But we sincerely hope that it will never again be necessary.

§ Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that before the unfortunate conflict 770 Argentina was a most important trading partner for Britain? Does she agree that, since the restoration of diplomatic relations, trade has started to pick up and there is now a spectacular opportunity for increasing trade, which is of great importance to the United Kingdom?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, my noble friend is indeed right. There has been a significant recovery in trade. Several trade missions have taken place in both directions, including one to Argentina in March last year led by my right honourable friend the then Minister for Trade, Mr. Sainsbury. There was also a British Week in Buenos Aires arranged by the private sector. In addition, there is an investment promotion and protection agreement which was signed by the then Foreign Secretary of the Argentine, Dr. Cavallo, in December 1990. We certainly hope that the privatisation programme of the Argentine will offer many opportunities for UK industry and that UK industry will take them up.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, will the noble Baroness expand a little on her Answer as to whether it is possible for us to mount the kind of expedition to the Falklands that we mounted in the early 1980s? Do we have the naval resources? Do we have the merchant fleet? Do we have the right kind of army? Does she agree that from all the evidence that we have received so far it would be impossible today to mount an equivalent operation?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, I fear that the noble Lord is a little misinformed. The best advice available to me is that at the present time, if we had to, we certainly could mount such an exercise again. But I repeat that we should be working for the positive, constructive relationship which seems to be coming between ourselves and the Argentines so that it will never again be necessary.

§ Lord Gisborough
My Lords, does the Minister agree that it is much more important that we should have the forces there to deter an attack in the first place? Can she confirm that the forces are there and are adequate to deter an attack?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, yes, we have forces there adequate to deter. We remain fully committed to that. We have no plans to reduce the garrison, although, as everywhere, force levels are always kept under review.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, will my noble friend make it clear that not only do we have the forces available if necessary to defend the islands but that in the event of operations being necessary they will not necessarily be confined to the vicinity of the islands?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, it would be very dangerous for me, even in response to my noble friend, to speculate on that matter. I can assure him that both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have their eyes firmly on the situation.