§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what talks have taken place with EU officials on(a) cruise ships and (b) Gibraltar; when; where; and with whom. [180091]
§ Mr. MacShaneWe continue to seek a permanent solution to the cruise ship issue. Although there have been no incidents over the last month, we regard Spanish interference with cruise-liner traffic en route from Gibraltar to Spain as unacceptable and illegal. To this end our Permanent Representation to the European Union has asked the Commission to investigate. We understand that the Commission has since taken this issue up with Spain.
In addition, officials from the UK Permanent Representation in Brussels have been in close and frequent contact with officials from EU Competition Director General in recent weeks, regarding the 1450W compatibility of Gibraltar's proposed corporate tax reforms with EC rules on State Aid. The Government of Gibraltar has played a full part in these discussions.