§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to respond to the Matutes proposals regarding the future of Gibraltar. [71771]
§ Ms QuinWe have always said that we will respond to the proposals made by Sr Matutes at the next Brussels Process meeting. No date has yet been fixed.
§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government have to alter the constitutional status of Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement on the likely date of implementation. [71693]
§ Ms QuinWe have had preliminary technical discussions with the Government of Gibraltar about their ideas for constitutional change. No formal proposals have yet been made.
§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Spanish nationals normally domiciled in Spain are regularly employed in Gibraltar. [71695]
§ Ms QuinOn 12 February this year, the Government of Gibraltar's records listed 1,741 Spanish nationals as working in Gibraltar but residing in Spain. All employers750W in Gibraltar are required to register their personnel with the Employment and Training Board, irrespective of nationality.
§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Spanish Foreign Minister's statement that he has breached an agreement made between them on Gibraltar in October 1998. [71585]
§ Ms QuinMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not breached the understanding agreed with the Spanish Foreign Minister in October 1998. There were difficulties in making the understanding work at the local level. We now hope that the local agreement reached between the Chief Minister of Gibraltar and the fishermen, building on the October understanding, will continue to work satisfactorily.
§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what understanding was arrived at between himself and the Spanish Foreign Minister over Gibraltar at their meeting in October 1998. [71587]
§ Ms QuinOn 5 October 1998, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reached an understanding with the Spanish Foreign Minister on the situation that prevailed in British waters around Gibraltar from 1991–97, when fishing took place in moderation and the fishermen respected the authority of the Gibraltar law enforcement agencies. They agreed that we should revert to that situation.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the European Commission since 1 February on the issue of Spain's treatment of Gibraltar; when they were made; and to whom. [71713]
§ Ms QuinThe UK Permanent Representative to the European Union in Brussels wrote both to the President of the European Commission and to his Chef de Cabinet on 11 February about recent developments concerning Gibraltar. His staff had briefed the cabinet of the Commissioner Gradin and other relevant cabinets in early February concerning the closure of the border by Spanish fishermen.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he proposes to take to ensure that Gibraltar driving-licence holders can enter Spain. [71722]
§ Ms QuinWe are monitoring the Spanish approach to Gibraltar-issued driving licences. Driving licences issued in Gibraltar are EU licences. EU driving licences must be mutually recognised by member states under the requirements of the EU Second Driving Licence Directive. We look to the Spanish authorities to recognise these documents in conformity with EU obligations.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if representations made to the Spanish Government on 10 February were made by(a) minister and (b) officials. [71716]
§ Ms QuinHM Ambassador in Madrid raised the Spanish Foreign Minister's comments to the Spanish Congress with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 10 February and called on the Ministry in person on 751W 11 February to pursue the matter. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Spanish Foreign Minister on 11 February.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the recently agreed Fisheries Agreement between Gibraltar and the Spanish Fishermen's Union. [71725]
§ Ms QuinWe welcome the agreement reached on 3 February between the Chief Minister of Gibraltar and representatives of local Spanish fishermen, which builds on the understanding agreed by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary with the Spanish Foreign Minister in October 1998. These new arrangements have since been working well in practice.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he intends in the event that the Spanish Foreign Minister refuses Gibraltar-bound civil airlines the right to overfly Spanish airspace. [71723]
§ Ms QuinThe Spanish Foreign Minister has not informed us of any present intention to refuse Gibraltar-bound civil aircraft the right to overfly Spanish airspace. It would be extraordinary and unprecedented for an EU Member State to impose an overflight ban on civil aircraft of a European partner.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list the dates of all his attempts to converse with the Spanish Foreign Minister to discuss Gibraltar in the past two weeks, indicating the means employed and the outcome of those attempts; [71715]
(2) on what occasions the Spanish Foreign Minister has contacted (a) him and (b) his office about Gibraltar in the past two weeks. [71720]
§ Ms QuinThe two Ministers' offices spoke on the telephone several times but were unable to set up a telephone conversation between the Ministers until 11 February.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates of all the conversations he had with the Spanish Foreign Minister to discuss Gibraltar in the past two weeks; and if he will make a statement on these conversations. [71714]
§ Ms QuinMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary most recently discussed Gibraltar with the Spanish Foreign Minister on 25 January and in a telephone conversation on 11 February. The first conversation was about problems over fishing in British waters around Gibraltar. The second also covered Spanish restrictions on movement across the Gibraltar border, the implementation of EU Directives in Gibraltar and reports of other planned Spanish restrictions. The two Ministers agreed to work to improve the situation, and to meet again on 21 February.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed border restrictions and delays at the La Linea Frontier with the Spanish Government; and if he will make a statement. [71717]
§ Ms QuinMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last discussed this issue with the Spanish Foreign Minister in a telephone conversation on 11 February.
752W
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to respond to the Spanish proposals for joint sovereignty of Gibraltar, tabled on 10 December 1997. [71718]
§ Ms QuinWe have always said that we will respond to the Spanish proposals at the next Brussels Process meeting. No date has yet been fixed.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government have taken to end restrictions on the rights of Gibraltarians to pass across their border freely. [71721]
§ Ms QuinIn our discussion of Gibraltar with the Spanish government, we have always emphasised that border restrictions going beyond those compatible with EU norms for a light passport check and customs control (Gibraltar is outside the Community customs territory) are unjustified and counter-productive. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke on the telephone to the Spanish Foreign Minister on this subject on 11 February. The Embassy in Madrid has also raised it on several occasions with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and I have raised it with my counterpart, Senor de Miguel. We again made it clear to the Spanish authorities that we look to them to allow movement across the border in conformity with EU obligations. We have also drawn the current situation at the Gibraltar/Spain border to the attention of the President of the European Commission.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he proposes to discuss the recently agreed Fisheries Agreement between Gibraltar and the Spanish Fishermen's Union with the Spanish Foreign Minister. [71724]
§ Ms QuinMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed this issue with the Spanish Foreign Minister when they spoke on the telephone on 11 February.
§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the residents of Gibraltar over Spanish proposals for joint sovereignty of Gibraltar, tabled on 10 December 1997; and if he will make a statement. [71719]
§ Ms QuinWe have received numerous individual representations from residents of Gibraltar, as well as a petition organised by the Self Determination for Gibraltar Group. All have called on HMG to reject the proposals.