Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the construction of the St Helena airport; what is the estimated date that the first aircraft could land; and whether the construction is within budget.
Answered by Baroness Northover
Construction of the St Helena Airport is more than 60% complete. It is currently within budget and on target to open for commercial flights in early 2016.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Northover on 23 June (WA 136) and 8 July (WA 40), why the request to place a document in the Library of the House was refused yet it was released under a Freedom of Information request.
Answered by Baroness Northover
The Offering Memorandum sent by the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government for a bond issue guaranteed by DFID in 2011 is not a document owned by her Majesty’s Government. It would therefore not have been appropriate for DFID to place a copy of it in the Library of the House, although my previous answer did make clear that the Noble Lord could obtain a copy of the document by requesting it from the TCI Government.
Freedom of Information requests cover documents held by Her Majesty’s Government. DFID therefore sought the consent of the TCI Government before agreeing to release the TCI document.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 23 June (WA 136), why they will not place in the Library of the House a document that is freely available to commercial investors.
Answered by Baroness Northover
The publication of the requested document is a matter for the TCI Government.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House the bond document of the loan that they have guaranteed for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Answered by Baroness Northover
The TCI Government issued US$170 million of bonds in 2011 under the terms of an Offering Memorandum. This was guaranteed by DFID. It would not be appropriate for her Majesty's Government to place a Turks and Caicos Islands Government document in the Library of the House. A copy might be requested, however, from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.