P R O C E E D I N G S O F T H E G I B R A L T A R P A R L I A M E N T AFTERNOON SESSION: 3.30 p.m. – 8.02 p.m. Gibraltar, Thursday, 10th December 2020 Contents Prayer ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Suspension of Standing Orders ........................................................................................................ 3 Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with laying of papers ........................................... 3 Papers to be laid ............................................................................................................................... 3 Suspension of Standing Orders ........................................................................................................ 4 Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with Government Statements ............................ 4 Ongoing negotiations for a future relationship with the EU – Statement by the Chief Minister ..................................................................................................................................... 4 New £500 million facility with NatWest – Statement by the Chief Minister ......................... 11 BEAT 4.0 – Statement by the Chief Minister .......................................................................... 27 Suspension of Standing Orders ...................................................................................................... 35 Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with Government Bills ...................................... 35 The House recessed at 6.20 p.m. and resumed its sitting at 6.35 p.m. .................................. 35 Order of the Day .................................................................................................................. 35 Bills ................................................................................................................................................. 35 First and Second Reading ............................................................................................................... 35 Nature Protection (Amendment) Bill 2020 – First Reading approved.................................... 35 Nature Protection (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Second Reading approved ............................... 36 Nature Protection (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Committee Stage and Third Reading to be taken at this sitting ........................................................................................................................... 38 _______________________________________________________________________________ Published by © The Gibraltar Parliament, 2020 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, THURSDAY, 10th DECEMBER 2020 Intellectual Property (Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) Bill 2020 – First Reading approved ................................................................................................................................ 39 Intellectual Property (Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Second Reading approved .................................................................................................................. 39 Intellectual Property (Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Committee Stage and Third Reading to be taken at this sitting ............................................................... 40 Trade Marks and Patents (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2020 – First Reading approved ................................................................................................................................................ 40 Trade Marks and Patents (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2020 – Second Reading approved ................................................................................................................................ 40 Trade Marks and Patents (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2020 – Committee Stage and Third Reading to be taken at this sitting ................................................................................ 42 Competition Bill 2020 – First Reading approved .................................................................... 42 Competition Bill 2020 – Second Reading approved ............................................................... 43 Competition Bill 2020 – Committee Stage and Third Reading to be taken at this sitting ..... 53 Committee Stage and Third Reading ............................................................................................. 53 Nature Protection (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Clauses considered and approved .................. 54 Intellectual Property (Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Clauses considered and approved ...................................................................................................... 55 Trade Marks and Patents (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2020 – Clauses considered and approved ................................................................................................................................ 55 Competition Bill 2020 – Clauses considered and approved ................................................... 55 Nature Protection (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Intellectual Property (Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Trade Marks and Patents (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2020 – Competition Bill 2020 – Third Reading approved: Bills passed .................................. 57 The House adjourned at 8.02 p.m. ......................................................................................... 58 ________________________________________________________________________ 2 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, THURSDAY, 10th DECEMBER 2020 The Gibraltar Parliament The Parliament met at 3.30 p.m. [MR SPEAKER: Hon. M L Farrell BEM GMD RD JP in the Chair] [CLERK TO THE PARLIAMENT: P E Martinez Esq in attendance] PRAYER Mr Speaker SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with laying of papers Clerk: Thursday, 10th December 2020. Meeting of Parliament. Suspension of Standing Orders – the Hon. the Chief Minister. Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): Mr Speaker, I beg to move, under Standing Order 7(3), to suspend Standing Order 7(1) in order to proceed with the laying of documents on the table. Mr Speaker: Those in favour? (Members: Aye.) Those against? Carried. PAPERS TO BE LAID Clerk: (vi) Papers to be laid – the Hon. the Chief Minister. 5 Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): Mr Speaker, I have the honour to lay on the table: pursuant to section 12 of the Public Finance (Borrowing Powers) Act, the revolving facility agreement for £500 million sterling for Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar, as borrower, arranged by National Westminster Bank PLC and the Royal Bank of Scotland International Ltd, trading as NatWest International, with National Westminster Bank PLC acting as agent, dated 3rd December 10 2020; the Income Tax (Allowances, Deductions and Exemptions) (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2018, published as Legal Notice 282/2018; and the Electric Vehicle Charger (Deductions) Rules 2018, which was published as Legal Notice 283/2018. Mr Speaker: Ordered to lie. 15 Clerk: The Hon. the Minister for the Health Authority, Justice, Multiculturalism, Equality and Community Affairs. Minister for the Health Authority, Justice, Multiculturalism, Equality and Community Affairs 20 (Hon. Miss S J Sacramento): Mr Speaker, I have the honour to lay on the table a Command Paper ________________________________________________________________________ 3 GIBRALTAR PARLIAMENT, THURSDAY, 10th DECEMBER 2020 on a draft Bill for an Act to make provision in relation to domestic abuse and for connected purposes. Mr Speaker: Ordered to lie. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS Standing Order 7(1) suspended to proceed with Government Statements 25 Clerk: Suspension of Standing Orders – the Hon. the Chief Minister. Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): Mr Speaker, I beg to move, under Standing Order 7(3), to suspend Standing Order 7(1) in order to proceed with Government Statements. Mr Speaker: Those in favour? (Members: Aye.) Those against? Carried. Ongoing negotiations for a future relationship with the EU – Statement by the Chief Minister Chief Minister (Hon. F R Picardo): Mr Speaker, I want to thank you and the House for its 30 indulgence in recent months as we have conducted the detailed and intensive negotiations on our future relationship with the European Union. We have asked colleagues, on a number of occasions, to adjourn the House without dealing with business. We have been unable to deal with ordinary business on the ordinary timetable that we would wish to be adhering to and to the rhythm that we introduced after our first election nine years ago. The work of Select Committees 35 has not been able to get underway in earnest, either. This is obviously something that we very much regret on this side of the House. Members are aware of the reasons for the need for such unusual and repeated adjournments. I am grateful to Members on both sides of the House for the latitude that they have shown us in that respect. All hon. Members and all citizens will, no doubt, have been following the rolling news channels 40 reporting on the state of the current negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union on ‘the future relationship’, as it is known. Given that we have always been clear in our views in this House – and the overwhelming result of the referendum in 2016 was certainly, if nothing else, very clear – I think it is equally