Gibraltar (Hansard, 18 February 1981)

§ 5. Mr. Biggs-Davison
asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement about the future of Gibraltar.

§ Sir Ian Gilmour
The British Government's commitment to the people of Gibraltar, as set out in the preamble to the constitution, remains firm. It is our hope that the new Spanish Government will act on the agreement which my right hon. and noble Friend concluded with the Spanish Foreign Minister in Lisbon on 10 April 1980. It provides for the restoration of direct communications between Gibraltar and Spain and the opening of negotiations.

§ Mr. Biggs-Davison
Having regard to the referendum—which shows that nearly every Gibraltarian wants his citizenship preserved—will my right hon. Friend consult the Home secretary and ensure that that small, but very loyal, group of British citizens is not done down by current nationality legislation?

§ Sir Ian Gilmour
I shall bring my hon. Friend's remarks to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. I know that my hon. Friend takes a deep interest in the matter. The British Nationality Bill is presently before the House. It is a matter for the Home Office.

§ Mr. Denzil Davies
Is it not time that the Lord Privy Seal stopped expressing hope about the Lisbon agreement and began to put pressure on the Spanish authorities? Why do not the Government say to the Spanish Government that, unless and until the Lisbon agreement is fulfilled, progress on the Spanish application to join the EEC will be very slow?

§ Sir Ian Gilmour
I do not think that that would be a helpful way to proceed. As for bringing pressure to bear on the Spanish Government, the right hon. Gentleman knows that there has not been one recently, so his proposal would not be very sensible.

§ Mr. Russell Johnston
If it is the Government's wish that Gibraltar should remain a dependency of the United Kingdom for as far ahead as we can see, what do the Government think about enabling Gibraltar to have some say in the institutions of the Community?

§ Sir Ian Gilmour
That question is rather premature. In spite of what has been said, we are hoping for, and working towards, the implementation of the Lisbon agreement. Only after that agreement has been reached can we consider matters further ahead.