HL Deb 22 March 1984 vol 449 c1460WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, as a signatory of the 1920 Paris Treaty governing the sovereignty, demilitarisation, etc., of the Spitzbergen archipelago, they are satisfied that the Norwegian Government is exercising to the full its sovereign rights and duties in Svalbard, in the light of Soviet claims to be providing schools, social services, entertainment, helicopter ports, which appear to go beyond the rights of signatories to the treaty to engage in the exploitation of the economic resources of the islands.

Baroness Young

Yes. It is known to all the parties to the Treaty of Paris that the Norwegian Government exercises sovereignty in full accordance with the provisions of the treaty and is concerned to ensure that its sovereignty is respected by all the other parties, including the Soviet Union.