All : NEW WHITE PAPER FOR UK OVERSEAS TERRITORIES
Submitted by (Juanita Brock) 16.09.2011 (Article Archived on 30.09.2011)

The UK Foreign Secretary the Hon Mr William Hague recently spoke about the 2012 White Paper about Britain’s relationship with its overseas territories. According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’ website Overseas Territories are British for as long as they wish to remain British.

NEW WHITE PAPER FOR UK OVERSEAS TERRITORIES

By J. Brock (FINN)

The UK Foreign Secretary the Hon Mr William Hague recently spoke about the 2012 White Paper about Britain’s relationship with its overseas territories.  According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’ website Overseas Territories are British for as long as they wish to remain British.

In Britain’s view, the Overseas Territories are constitutionally not part of the United Kingdom and all of them have separate constitutions made by an Order in Council. All have Governors or Commissioners who are normally UK appointed Civil Servants. They represent both Her Majesty the Queen in the Territory; and represent the Territory's interests to HMG in London.

The Overseas Territories Directorate in the FCO takes the overall lead on managing the UK's relationship with its Overseas Territories, but all Government Departments have a responsibility towards the Overseas Territories. The FCO is planning to bring all aspects of the Government’s policies on the Overseas Territories in a new White Paper in early 2012. Our main objectives are:

To ensure the safety and security of the Overseas Territories

To ensure the good governance of the Overseas Territories

To promote and enhance the UK's role within the Polar Regions

British Government Departments will set out by the end of January 2012 how they will support the UK Overseas Territories.  Setting out in detail the Government’s approach to the UK Overseas Territories, the departments will report to Parliament regularly on how the paper is progressing.

More information on the Polar Regions can be found at Discovering Arctic and Discovering Antarctic.

The Department for International Development (DfID) provides budgetary support for Montserrat, Pitcairn and St Helena, as well as funding for various projects on other Territories.

If you have any comments or enquiries about the Overseas Territories (other than Gibraltar and the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus), please contact:

Overseas Territories Directorate

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

King Charles Street

London
SW1A 2AP