§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs supplementary to his oral answer to question No. 4, 16 December 2003:
"Given that 98.5 per cent. of the population of Gibraltar again voted in a referendum against any sharing of sovereignty with the Spanish, that the Chief Minister of Gibraltar has been re-elected with more than 50 per cent. of the vote on that platform, that Gibraltarians will be represented in the European Parliament from next year, and that the Spanish have apparently just negotiated a deal for sub-Mediterranean tunnel with the Moroccans, with whom they have territorial disputes, will the Minister tell us what progress has been achieved on the availability of the phone lines and health care that the Spanish provide for the Gibraltarians? What progress has been made on the ridiculous business involving having to fly over Spanish territory on Gibraltar flights that cannot land? Such a right would be accorded under treaty to any other member of the EU". [144039]
§ Mr. MacShane[pursuant to his answer, 16 December 2003, Official Report c. 1418]: I made an error in my answer, in the House, of 16 December to the hon. Member. The answer should have read as follows:
The hon. Gentleman makes good and fair points. We want Spanish recognition of the 00350 number for Gibraltar, but they are not yet willing to concede that. The Government of Gibraltar had asked us to investigate the possibility of creating a wider Crown Dependencies number of 00350, but the other Crown Dependencies were not interested in that solution. We will continue negotiating with the Spanish and talking to them about the problem. They could send a positive signal to the people of Gibraltar and be helpful on the situation with the telephone lines".