§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to ensure that only United Kingdom or Gibraltar registered companies whose directors are either British or Gibraltar citizens are invited to tender for projects in Gibraltar when the funding for such projects is borne by the Overseas Development Administration.
§ Mr. RaisonGibraltar is part of the European Community and the Treaty of Rome applies to it by virtue of article 2274. Article 7 of that treaty prohibits discrimination within the European Community on nationality grounds, and we are obliged to ensure that634W companies from other member states of the European Community have an opportunity to bid for public works projects financed out of the British aid programme as well as firms from the United Kingdom or Gibraltar. We would not agree to companies from outside the European Community being invited to tender save in exceptional circumstances.