To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Spanish Government since 1 January on (a) the use of military facilities in Gibraltar and (b) Gibraltar's status in NATO; and if he will make a statement. [104981]

[holding answer 27 March 2003]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not held formal discussions with his Spanish counterpart since December 2001. As close allies, we maintain contact on a wide range of defence/security matters. There has been no change to Gibraltar's status as a United Kingdom base. However, we have recently offered military facilities in Gibraltar to NATO for use in Active Endeavour, a NATO-led operation providing protection for allied non-combatant shipping in the Mediterranean.