§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on transport to and from(a) Pitcairn Island, (b) Norfolk Island, (c) St. Helena, (d) Ascension and (e) Tristan da Cunha. [160668]
§ Mr. BattlePitcairn has no air services nor a regular shipping service; however cargo vessels transiting between New Zealand and the Panama Canal are used to transport passengers and freight to and from Pitcairn. A passenger and cargo shipping service operates between the UK and St. Helena, calling at Ascension Island on a regular basis and Tristan da Cunha once a year. Tristan is also served by non-regular visits by research and fishing vessels. There is an American-run military airfield on Ascension Island, through which the RAF operates regular flights to and from the Falklands.
Norfolk Island is Australian territory and we do not have the information sought.
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the population is of(a) Pitcairn Island, (b) Norfolk Island, (c) St. Helena, (d) Ascension and (e) Tristan da Cunha; and how the population of these islands has changed since 1971. [160667]
§ Mr. BattleThe current population of Pitcairn is 44 (74 in 1976, the nearest date to 1971 for which there are reliable figures); St. Helena is 5,016 (5,147 in 1976); Ascension is 974 (1,311 in 1971); and Tristan da Cunha is 287 (312 in 1971). Norfolk Island is Australian territory and we do not hold these statistics.