Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Government's policy on new oil and gas exploration licences in UK waters with the Secretary of State's statutory consent role for petroleum licences in the Falkland Islands.

The right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is integral to their right of self-determination. When deciding whether to consent to new hydrocarbons licences in the Falkland Islands, the Secretary of State acts in accordance with applicable Falkland Islands legislation. UK oil and gas licensing policy does not apply in the Falkland Islands.

I met Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly on 3 September and discussed ongoing economic development projects in the Falklands.