HL Deb 25 April 1983 vol 441 cc723-4

2.54 p.m.

Lord Boyd-Carpenter

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what reply has been sent to the Spanish Government's comments on the use by ships of the Royal Navy of the naval base in the British colony of Gibraltar.

Lord Belstead

My Lords, the statement on 11th April by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs was issued publicly and was not addressed specifically to Her Majesty's Government. Her Majesty's Ambassador at Madrid has, however, made clear to the Spanish authorities that, as my right honourable friend said on 13th April in another place, a visit of warships to Gibraltar during the annual Springtrain exercise is quite normal.

Lord Boyd-Carpenter

My Lords, in thanking my noble friend for that wholly satisfactory Answer may I ask him whether he will also suggest to the Spanish Government that outbursts of petulant temper of this sort do nothing to ease international relations and perhaps give some reason for Her Majesty's Government to strengthen the garrison at Gibraltar?

Lord Belstead

My Lords, it is the desire of Her Majesty's Government that our relations with Spain should be as good as possible. So far as the garrison at Gibraltar is concerned, I can assure my noble friend that the present defences of Gibraltar are adequate for the need.

Lord Boothby

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether he and Her Majesty's Government will bear in mind in any forthcoming negotiations that if the Gibraltar naval base and dockyard had not existed it would have been quite impossible to mount the expeditionary force to the Falkland Islands in time? Secondly, will my noble friend bear in mind that if we now close the naval base and dockyard at Gibraltar there will be no British naval presence of any kind in the Mediterranean for the first time since the Tudors reigned over this country?

Lord Belstead

My Lords, certainly I accept the point which the noble Lord makes about the proved enormous importance of the dockyard at the time of the start of the Falklands crisis, but may I emphasise to him that we have outlined measures which we would be prepared to take to help to establish in its place a commercially managed dockyard.

Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos

My Lords, would the noble Lord agree that the desirable objective is the fulfilment of the Lisbon Agreement of 1980? Can the noble Lord tell the House what prospects there are for the implementation of the agreement? Is he aware that a very sensitive situation existed in Gibraltar? And could the noble Lord say whether on this occasion there were talks of any kind on Springtrain between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Spain, in view of the special circumstances obtaining this year?

Lord Belstead

My Lords, in answer to the first part of the noble Lord's question may I say that he knows that the Spanish Foreign Minister, Senor Moran, visited London in March. It was agreed that my right honourable friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and Senor Moran should keep closely in touch. They will in any case have occasion to meet each other in the next month or so. I say that in reply to the first part of the noble Lord's question about the prospects for the implementation of the Lisbon Agreement, which Her Majesty's Government want very much indeed. I am not entirely sure that I took the thrust of the second part of the noble Lord's question, but may I say, hoping that it answers it, that as a matter of courtesy the Spanish Navy were informed beforehand of the visit.

Lord Mayhew

My Lords, would the noble Lord agree that whereas this visit was indeed normal, our relations with Spain at present are unfortunately not normal? Will the noble Lord give the assurance that in future these visits will or will not take place with proper reference to the state of our relations with Spain?

Lord Belstead

No, my Lords. These visits take place because of operational necessity. I cannot give the noble Lord the assurance for which he asks.

Lord Boyd-Carpenter

My Lords, would my noble friend add to his Answer about the adequacy of the defences of Gibraltar by explicitly confirming that the anti-aircraft equipment on the Rock has been brought up to date?

Lord Belstead

My Lords, the Gibraltar Regiment now has Blowpipe.