§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will quantify the economic effects that the removal of the Lan Chile link will have on the people of the Falklands. [78210]
§ Mr. Tony LloydWe hope that Lan Chile will continue to fly to the Falklands. We have expressed our regret to the Chilean Government over the decision to ask the airline to suspend these flights and have said we do not believe this to be justified. It is not possible to quantify reliably the economic effects that suspension of the flights would have on the Falklands, but without an alternative in place, the impact would be adverse. For example, tourism would be affected as would the ability to buy some Chilean goods and services. Airfreight would no longer pass through Chile.