§ Mr. BoyesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement of the latest situation regarding the removal of mines from the Falkland Islands; how many military and civilians have been killed or wounded by mines; what assistance the Argentine Government are giving in the process of clearing mines, what monetary compensation the Argentine Government are supplying; and how many Argentine(a) civilian and (b) military workers are involved in the process.
§ Mr. HanleyImmediately after the Falklands conflict in 1982, our forces in the Falkland Islands set in hand an extensive programme of identifying, marking and, to the extent possible, clearing the minefields left behind by the Argentines. This programme was suspended in August 1983. Four engineers were seriously wounded in the course of these operations, although there were no civilian casualties. An explosive ordnance detachment remains238W based in the Falklands to advise the civilian population on the areas to avoid and to deal with any mines which become exposed.
Argentina has recently offered to pay for a third party to clear the minefields in the Falklands. The Falkland Islands Government have agreed that this proposal should be explored further, and we are following this up with Argentina. Before accepting the Argentine offer we would need to reach agreement on various practical issues. There would not be any involvement by Argentine workers in any operation on the Falkland Islands to clear the mines.