Chief Minister Tony Brown MHK today (March 30, 2010) welcomed a report by the UK House of Commons Justice Committee that supports the Isle of Man’s aspirations for enhancing its international profile and developing further opportunities to represent itself on the world stage.

The Committee examined how the UK Government fulfils its constitutional responsibilities for Crown Dependencies, primarily through the Ministry of Justice which manages the UK’s relationship with the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

The Chief Minister said:

‘It is clear that the Committee listened to and appreciated the wide range of points we made, especially about our desire to strengthen the Isle of Man’s political and diplomatic relations with other countries ‘
The report acknowledges that the Crown Dependencies are ‘democratic, self-governing communities with free press and open debate’ and recognises their ‘essential independence from the UK, their independence from each other and the fact that their interests need to be considered routinely by all government Departments in any area of policy-making likely to impact on them.’

The Committee addressed the handling of the termination of the Reciprocal Health Agreement saying

‘We believe the lack of consultation, and discussion of possible options, with each Crown Dependency was a failing in the UK Government’s approach to its responsibilities.’
The Chief Minister said:

‘It is particularly helpful that the Committee stated, in strong terms, that the UK Government has a duty to represent our interests on the international stage, even when our interests are not the same as those of the UK. The Committee picked up on the recommendations made in our submission about finding appropriate mechanisms to represent our interests effectively in international discussions, and we hope to be able to work with the Ministry of Justice to put some of those measures into action. The Isle of Man Government looks forward to further developing our existing and positive relationship with the Ministry of Justice and building stronger relationships with other UK departments. The Island has increasingly represented its own interests in world affairs in recent years in order to reflect the differences between UK and Manx law and policies – most notably by concluding a significant number of bilateral tax agreements — and we welcome a further endorsement of this approach.’