Gibraltar
Debate between Baroness Chapman of Darlington and Lord Rogan
Lord Rogan (UUP)
My Lords, I declare my interest, as listed in the register. I have been privileged to visit Gibraltar on many occasions as a member of the all-party group. I pay tribute to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and his colleagues in His Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar for their hard work over many years in reaching this agreement, which has the support of all four parties involved in the negotiations.
Can the Minister confirm that Gibraltar will retain full control over its own border checks, and that the agreement will not place any additional barriers in the way of UK passport holders wishing to visit our deeply cherished friends on the Rock?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I will start by echoing the noble Lord’s comments about Fabian Picardo. He has worked tirelessly on this and is satisfied with the outcome we have reached.
Gibraltar will have its own checks that it will undertake. There will also be Schengen checks that, as I say, are similar to those at St Pancras, but, unless an alert is triggered on the Schengen Information System, there should be no issues. If an alert is triggered, a person would have the opportunity to take legal advice and make a decision about their onward travel. That is an agreement that Gibraltar is happy with; it is a good compromise and something that will serve the people of Gibraltar well.
Taipei Representative Office in the United Kingdom
Debate between Baroness Chapman of Darlington and Lord Rogan(7 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
We are very keen to promote our values of democracy and the rule of law in the region and elsewhere in the world. I would not say that we are particularly leveraging our relationship with Taiwan. I think it is more important to us than that, and we will promote these values throughout the world whenever we have the opportunity to do so.
Lord Rogan (UUP)
My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. In May this year, the then United Kingdom Government published on their official website a joint statement signed by several international partners, including the British Office Taipei, reaffirming the joint support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the work of the World Health Organization and as an observer at the World Health Assembly. Does the Minister support this statement on behalf of the present Government? If so, will she use her good offices as a Foreign Office Minister to back the increasing momentum towards the establishment of a fully fledged UK embassy in Taiwan?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
My Lords, we support Taiwan’s participation in multilateral bodies, particularly when statehood is not a prerequisite, such as at the World Health Assembly, and we have supported its participation as an observer in other ways, including at the WHO.