§ Mr. Neubertasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement about the disposal of the assets of the South Pacific Air Transport Council.
§ Mr. TebbitThe South Pacific Air Transport Council was formed in 1946 to promote Commonwealth civil aviation in the south-west Pacific. The four members are Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The council was responsible for operating Nadi international airport, Fiji, and the Nadi flight information centre and certain navigation and meteorological installations elsewhere in Fiji, Kiribati, Soloman Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. At its 22nd meeting in Suva in December 1978 the council agreed to 91W a suggestion by the Government of Fiji that responsibility for operating council-owned installations in Fiji be taken over by Fiji as from 1 April 1979 and that the operation of installations in other countries be continued under arrangements agreed by States in the region; also that the council's assets be handed over to the Governments of the countries in which they are located. These proposals have been approved by the council member Governments and arrangements are now in hand for the transfer to the Governments of the countries concerned of the ownership of fixed and moveable assets to a total value as at 31 March 1979 of $F11,187,628 (£6,468,707).