§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date Her Majesty's Government received representations that the community of Port Howard wished to settle outside the Falkland Islands.
§ Mr. OnslowWe have at no stage received any such representations.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the results of the questionnaire on land tenure in the Falkland Islands sent out by the Falkland Islands Government.
§ Mr. OnslowI would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bolton, East (Mr. Young) on 21 February.—[Vol. 37, c.367.]
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the formal notice given to oil companies of the United Kingdom claim to the sea area around the Falkland Islands.
§ Mr. OnslowI assume that the hon. Member is referring to an advertisement which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office placed in various journals in May and June 1981. This drew to the attention of oil companies Her Majesty's Government's view that, in the absence of an agreement between the United Kingdom and Argentine Governments on the delimitation of the continental shelf as between the Falkland Islands and Argentina, neither party would be entitled to exercise continental shelf rights beyond the median line between the Falkland Islands and Argentina. A copy of the text of the advertisement is being placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what applications are pending with Her Majesty's Government for drilling rights in the Falklands area.
§ Mr. OnslowNone.
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§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) to what extent Her Majesty's Government have assessed the possibility of land in the Falkland Islands being compulsorily purchased by authority of orders made by the Legislative Council.
(2) what assessment he has made, in considering the future of land tenure in the Falkland Islands, of the standard and extent of managerial skills.
§ Mr. OnslowBoth these matters are being taken fully into account as part of the wider assessment currently in progress of the whole question of land ownership in the Falkland Islands.