Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) the territorial integrity and (b) improved border arrangements with Spain of Gibraltar.
Mr David Lidington
The United Kingdom will continue to stand by Gibraltar. We are confident of the United Kingdom’s sovereignty over the whole of Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, and have been firm in our commitment to the double lock. We will continue to protect the rights of the people of Gibraltar to remain British, for as long as they wish to do so.
Maintaining a well-functioning Gibraltar-Spain border is one of our top priorities. We welcome the overall downward trend in border delays since their height in 2013, but we are alive to the risk of a return to disproportionate delays at any time. Her Majesty’s Government is working closely with Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar and European partners ahead of proposed changes to the Schengen Border Code later this year to ensure that delays due to security checks are not disproportionate. As we prepare for the process to exit the EU, we will fully involve Gibraltar to ensure that its interests are taken properly into account.
