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Gibraltar
12.30 pm
Mr. Michael Howard (Folkestone and Hythe) (by private notice): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement--[Interruption.]
Madam Speaker: Order. The Minister is being asked a question, yet the Government Front Bench is in disorder--I have even got Liberal Democrats on the Government Front Bench!
Mr. Howard: Nothing should surprise us, Madam Speaker.
To continue, I ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on developments relating to Gibraltar.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Ms Joyce Quin):
Over the past year, there have been problems relating to Spanish fishing in British Gibraltar waters. Those began when fishermen started to enter the waters in larger numbers than had been tolerated in the past. We reached an understanding with the Spanish Government on the situation that had prevailed from 1991 to 1997, when fishing took place in moderation and the fishermen respected the authority of the Gibraltar law enforcement agencies. We agreed with the Spanish that we should revert to that situation.
Nevertheless, we faced continuing difficulties on the water. On 27 January, a Spanish fishing vessel was arrested. On 29 January, fishermen demonstrated at the border, preventing movement through it. We protested to the Spanish authorities about that. On 3 February, the fishermen and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar reached an agreement that satisfied them both, building on the understanding we had reached with Spain. Those new arrangements have been working well in practice.
The Spanish Government were unhappy that the Chief Minister of Gibraltar had struck a deal locally. We began to see unjustifiably long delays at the border. We have protested to the Spanish authorities. The Spanish Foreign Minister has also talked about the possibility of refusing to accept Gibraltar driving licences, and has speculated about banning civil overflights to and from Gibraltar. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has today spoken to the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to assure him of our full support for Gibraltar on those points.
We shall continue to defend with determination Gibraltar's legitimate rights. We are today raising these matters with the Spanish Government through our ambassador in Madrid, and with the European Commission through our permanent representative in Brussels. We believe that it is in everyone's interests that relations between Spain, Britain and Gibraltar should improve; and that harassment is counterproductive.
Mr. Howard:
In her answer, the Minister conspicuously failed to condemn unreservedly the latest Spanish threats to Gibraltar. Will she now do so? Will she confirm reports in this morning's newspapers that Spanish proposals for joint sovereignty over Gibraltar have been languishing in the Foreign Secretary's in-tray for more than a year? Is that another example of his not bothering
Will the Minister tell us whether the protests to which she referred in her reply have been made at ambassadorial or ministerial level? If the former, does not it send entirely the wrong signal about the seriousness with which we take these matters? Can she give details of the agreement that was reached between the Foreign Secretary and his counterpart in October, which she conspicuously failed to supply when she responded on 4 February to my written question on this topic?
Does my right hon. Friend recall the way in which the Government were, on their own account, duped by the Spanish Government in negotiations on the treaty of Amsterdam? Does she recall the Foreign Secretary's U-turn and surrender in negotiations on Spanish entry into the integrated military command of NATO? Is not the whole pattern of this Government's dealings with Spain one of equivocation, retreat and surrender? Will she now display the resolve and determination that are overdue and necessary to deal with this matter?
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover):
You can always trust him to go over the top.
Ms Quin:
My hon. Friend is quite right.
It is of some regret to me that the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) has dealt with an issue that has so often commanded cross-party agreement in such a manner. All parties in the House have supported the Gibraltar constitution; we support it very strongly. Indeed, I have spoken with and appreciate the work of some of my Conservative predecessors on this issue, including Lord Garel-Jones and, of course, Lord Hurd, when he was Foreign Secretary. Unfortunately, the right hon. and learned Gentleman seems to disagree with his predecessors as well as engaging in puerile attacks on us.
The right hon. and learned Gentleman asked several questions, with which I should like to deal. I want to stress first that, overall, we have a good relationship with Spain, as has been evident in many recent initiatives, including the statements issued by the two Prime Ministers on a range of European and employment issues. However, at the same time, we have pursued very vigorously with our Spanish counterparts the need to regulate properly fishing activity around Gibraltar, and to ensure that border delays are kept to a minimum and the Spanish authorities respect the position of the people of Gibraltar.
The right hon. and learned Gentleman seems, somehow, to want it both ways--breathing fire and brimstone on the one hand, and telling us that we must sort things out on the other. We are confident that we have put enormous effort into resolving this situation. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have worked with both the Governor and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to look at ways of resolving the situation. We therefore welcomed the agreement that the Chief Minister concluded with the fishermen because we believed that it built on our understanding with Spain. We stick very strongly to that point of view.
The right hon. and learned Gentleman rather astonishingly asked what we were doing about the situation, and tried to pretend that we were doing nothing, even though, in my statement, I announced the two initiatives that we have taken today with the Spanish Government and the European Commission. He seemed to avoid that completely.
The right hon. and learned Gentleman also asked about the October agreement. He ought to know that that agreement was largely an affirmation of traditional fishing practices in that area, which between 1991 and 1997 had worked well and to the benefit of both sides. When that harmonious traditional activity was undermined by the presence of extra vessels, action was taken. We welcomed the arrest in January of the vessel that was clearly violating the understanding that we had reached with Spain. As I said, we believed that the agreement concluded by the Chief Minister was greatly to be welcomed and provided a way forward. I cannot think offhand of a word that means the opposite of statesmanship, but whatever it is, it certainly applies to the right hon. and learned Gentleman.
Mr. Ted Rowlands (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney):
Have not the actions of the Spanish authorities breached European law? If so, what specific action will the Government take?
Ms Quin:
Indeed, European law is the reason for our approach today to the President of the European Commission. The threat not to accept Gibraltar's driving licences directly contravenes the relevant EU directive, so we intend urgently to pursue the matter with the Commission. It is our understanding that the relevant EU directive would be breached if the Spanish authorities refused to accept those driving licences.
Mr. David Heath (Somerton and Frome):
Are not the actions of the Spanish Government in this affair entirely unacceptable, particularly in view of the successful negotiation and resolution of the fishing dispute? Are not those actions particularly ironic on the part of a state with enclaves of its own in north Africa, and do they not undermine the more constructive overtures by the Spanish Government in recent years? Will the Minister continue, as she has been doing, to make it clear to Spain that Gibraltar's future will be based on the wishes of Gibraltarians, not crude bullying? Will she work to assure the status of Gibraltar within the European Union? Lastly, will she seek ways to provide proper representation of Gibraltar in the European Parliament?
Ms Quin:
I welcome the thrust of the hon. Gentleman's questions, which was a good deal more constructive than that of the official Opposition spokesman, the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe. We believe that the Spanish action is unacceptable and, importantly, counterproductive. There is a great deal to be gained by co-operation between Gibraltar and, in particular, the neighbouring regions of Spain. Such actions by the centre rather undermine the cause of that co-operation, which we hold dear.
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