HC Deb 05 March 1968 vol 760 cc204-6
5. Mr. Wall

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on future constitutional plans for Gibraltar.

8. Mr. Goodhew

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement about the future constitutional relationship between Great Britain and Gibraltar.

28. Mr. Colin Jackson

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest position concerning future constitutional developments in Gibraltar.

33. Mr. George Jeger

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the proposed new constitution for Gibraltar.

38. Sir F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs whether he is now in a position to announce details of the Gibraltar Constitutional Conference.

Mr. George Thomson

I have nothing at present to add to the statement by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs made on 12th February in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall).

Mr. Wall

Does the Minister appreciate that the suggestions made in Gibraltar are merely palliatives and that what the Gibraltarians want is a constitution which will ensure that they and their children's children remain British?

Mr. Thomson

All those are matters to be gone into at the next stage of the constitutional discussions. The first stage was useful. The Minister of State had talks with a wide range of people. We are now considering these and I think we ought to await the next stage in the talks.

Mr. Goodhew

Did not the people of Gibraltar tell the right hon. Gentleman and his friends exactly what they wanted in the referendum? Why are they now talking to the Spanish Government when the people of Gibraltar have made their wishes known and so clear?

Mr. Thomson

I think the hon. Member is on a quite different point; Questions about talks with the Spanish Government are for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, but there is no suggestion in Gibraltar itself that constitutional progress is in any way obstructed or held up by talks.

Mr. Jeger

Does my right hon. Friend appreciate that the fact that he is answering five Questions on this subject today reflects the uneasiness and uncertainty which exists among the Gibraltarians? Is he further aware that this is added to by the constant procession of Ministers going to Gibraltar and repeating the same parrot-like sympathetic remarks which lead to no action whatever? Will he speed up these constitutional talks?

Mr. Thomson

I recognise that the number of Questions on the Order Paper reflects the concern both in this House and in Gibraltar about these matters, and a very proper concern, but the Minister of State did not in Gibraltar find the same desire to make a precipitate approach to these very important problems which one sometimes finds in this House.

Sir F. Bennett

In view of the fact that the Minister would agree that the most generally expressed wish in Gibraltar is for some sort of relationship such as that of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, could the Minister say plainly whether it is the opinion of Her Majesty's Government that that would prejudice the Treaty of Utrecht? If so, will he let us know about it?

Mr. Thomson

All these matters are to be gone into in further constitutional talks. I do not accept that the views the hon. Member holds strongly and sincerely necessarily reflect the widespread opinion in Gibraltar which he thinks they do.

Sir D. Walker-Smith

The right hon. Gentleman said that constitutional progress is not being obstructed or held up by talks with the Spanish Government. Can he say what is holding them up and what programme he envisages for future progress?

Mr. Thomson

The programme has been announced in this House. There were preliminary discussions in Gibraltar and there is now a period both in Gibraltar and here in London to consider the results of these, and further talks will take place in Gibraltar in the early summer.