§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it was with his authority that Sir Rex Hunt, Civil Commissioner in the Falkland Islands, made a public statement on 3 November concerning United Nations resolutions relating to the Falkland Islands; and if he will publish the text of his statement in the Official Report.
§ Mr. OnslowThe Civil Commissioner does not require authority to make public statements. We are inquiring whether a text of the comments he reportedly made on 3 November is available.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what response Her Majesty's Government have given to the request from the Falkland Islands Council to end the holding of land in the islands by absentee landlords;
(2) when Her Majesty's Government expect to reach a conclusion on the recommendation in the report of Lord Shackleton for a 200 mile fishing limit round the Falkland Islands.
§ Mr. OnslowThese issues are ones which feature in Lord Shackleton's economic report on the Falkland348W Islands. The report's recommendations are being actively studied, and I hope that the Government will shortly be in a position to announce their decisions on them.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 15 November, c. 29, what is the cost to public funds of operating the captured Bell-Huey helicopter to operate a civilian passenger service in the near future.
§ Mr. OnslowThe service has not yet started. When it does, civilian passengers will pay the existing Falkland Islands Government Air Service fares for all journeys in this aircraft. It is not yet known if this will cover the full cost of its operation.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the reply, Official Report, 15 November, c. 29, when he expects to complete his active study of future airport facilities and consideration of all possible diversion arrangements; and what cost estimates are available.
§ Mr. OnslowAs I indicated to the hon. Member on 15 November these questions are still under active study.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 15 November, Official Report, c. 28, what evidence he has for his view that the recent United Nations resolution does not include the Falkland Islands Dependencies.
§ Mr. OnslowAs I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Waltham Forest (Mr. Deakins) on 15 November, the United Nations resolution refers only to "the Falkland Islands (Malvinas)". It self-evidently does not refer to the Falkland Islands Dependencies, which are a separate dependent territory of the United Kingdom, and have been administered from the Falkland Islands for convenience only.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 15 November, Official Report, c. 30, what consultation has taken place with Falkland Islands councillors about using the islands for military training.
§ Mr. OnslowI am consulting the Civil Commissioner about the extent to which there has been consultation with the Falkland Islands councillors about using the islands for military training purposes, and shall write to the hon. Gentleman when I receive this information.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for West Lothian, Official Report, 15 November, c. 29, why, in the matter of the preservation of the Falkland Islanders' life style, it is no longer the policy of Her Majesty's Government that the wishes of the islanders should be paramount, as set out by the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) on 2 December 1980, Official Report, c. 129.
§ Mr. OnslowThe Government remain fully committed to respecting the wishes of the Falkland. Islanders about their political future.