FIRST REPORT
The Foreign Affairs Committee has agreed to the
following Report:—
GIBRALTAR
1. The Foreign Affairs Committee in the last Parliament
reported on Gibraltar in June 1999.[1]
Soon after publication, that Report was the subject of a Westminster
Hall Debate.[2]
In July 2000 and April 2001, the Committee published follow-up
Reports.[3]
2. The Reports of our predecessor Committee dealt
not only with the central question of Gibraltar's constitutional
status but with a wide range of issues, including: border delays
between Gibraltar and Spain; restrictions on telephone communications
with Gibraltar; the enfranchisement of all British Citizens resident
in Gibraltar in time for the 2004 European Parliamentary Elections;
Spanish allegations against Gibraltar; and the Single European
Sky. In the last of their Reports, the Committee expressed the
hope that their successors would return to these issues early
in the next Parliament.[4]
3. Following the Government's decision to reopen
the Brussels process of negotiations with Spain, we invited the
Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Peter Caruana, and the Minister for
Europe, Peter Hain, to appear before us to answer questions. The
Minutes of that Evidence, together with memoranda submitted to
us, are printed with this Report, in order that they may be available
in the House and more widely without delay.
1
Fourth Report, Session 1998-99, Gibraltar, HC 366. Back
2 HC Deb
8 June 2000, col. 117WHff. Back
3 Ninth
Report, Session 1999-2000, Gibraltar Follow-up, HC 863;
Sixth Report, Session 2000-2001, Gibraltar, HC 319. Back
4 Op
cit., para. 2. Back
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