§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has of the number of potential immigrants turned away from the Falklands Islands as a result of the shortage of housing.
§ Mr. WhitneyImmigration is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government. I understand that the present constraints on immigration, of which a shortage of surplus accommodation is one, have not allowed the Falkland Islands Government to process the majority of the 650 applications so far received from prospective immigrants. However, all applications have been duly recorded, and are being followed up as circumstances permit.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations were made to him by Mr. Cheek and Mr. Blake about the working conditions of men involved in the construction of the Falklands airfield.
§ Mr. WhitneyNone.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when he expects to return documents relating to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and withdrawn by his Department from the Public Records Office;
(2) if he will provide a list of abstractions of Foreign and Commonwealth Office documents relating to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands from the Public Records Office.
§ Mr. WhitneySome of the records have already been returned to the Public Record Office. Others will follow when they are no longer required. Details cannot be given because it would involve disproportionate expense to maintain lists of all records in current Departmental use.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expense would be involved in the publication of all Foreign Office documents relevant to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands since the Gaston de Bernhardt report of 1910.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe cost of arranging the publication of these documents would be disproportionate. There are 37W over 100,000 pieces, that is, individual volumes and portfolios dating from 1910 in the Public Record Office main class of Foreign Office political correspondence alone. Before publishing, it would be necessary to sift through over 40 years of indexes and registers just to identify Public Record Office material relevent to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. This in itself would be prohibitive in terms of manpower.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has had from the Governments of Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal to act as mediators between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falklands; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyNone. But we have been glad to note the expressions of willingness of the Governments referred to, and others, to assist in the development of better bilateral relations between Britain and Argentina. We shall continue to consult closely with our allies and partners on this question.