itizens of the British Dependent Territories have to meet (under clause 4 of the Bill, such citizens are entitled to British citizenship but only after 5 years residence in the United Kingdom). The special status of Gibraltar under the Treaty of Rome is no justification for such exceptional treatment. The position of Gibraltarians under the Treaty of Rome should not benefit them in some other unrelated sphere.
Speaking Note
8. The Government cannot accept the proposed New Clause to the Bill. It is intended to enable those who are United Kingdom nationals for European Community purposes through their links with a dependent territory to which Article 227(4) of the Treaty of Rome applies, and those who have the right of abode in such a territory, to be entitled to acquire British citizenship on application. Since Gibraltar is the only dependent territory to which the provisions of Article 2270 of the Treaty of Rome
apply, this amendment would give those
connected with Gibraltar an entitlement to British citizenship on application. They would not have to meet any residence requirement and would be free to acquir British citizenship and the right of abode here without ever setting foot in this country. They might indeed have no personal ties at all with the country.!
9. But this would be wholly contrary to our aim of a more logical system of citizenship. As we explained in the White Paper we published last year, we accepted the argument that the status of the remaining dependencies should be positively recognised in citizenship terms. That is why we have created a distinctive citizenship of the British Dependent Territories which is to be held by those who have ties with the dependencies. This will be an accurate reflectid of their status; it is not a second class citizenship;
it is a paralle status to British citizenship, held on like terms. But having created this citizenship, it would be wholly unacceptable to exempt one dependency from it. This is precisely the sort of anomaly we seek to erase in this Bill.
10. Now it is argued that Gibraltar already enjoys a special status among the
Artiels. dependencies since it is the only one covered by Section 227(4) of the Treaty of Rome. This, it is said, justifies excluding Gibraltar and those who have ties with it from the ambit of citizenship of the British Dependent Territories.
11.
Frankly this view is not tenable. The inclusion of Gibraltar in the
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