Introduction
Thank you for your interest in this very important exercise.
The deadline to submit responses through this website was 5:00 pm local time on 4 November 2011. This deadline was recommended by the Review Committee in order to give them sufficient time to prepare and produce a report to the Honourable Premier, Mr. McKeeva Bush. The Honourable Premier will utilise the information in this report during the Overseas Territories Consultative Council meetings held in London in November 2011.
Please note, however that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to accept responses on this matter through its website (http://ukoverseasterritories.readandcomment.com/) until 31 December 2011 so please feel free to visit their website to submit your comments.
At the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) in November 2010 the United Kingdom advised that they are in the process of reviewing the relationship with the Overseas Territories and are framing a new strategy to guide this relationship in the future.
The last full scale review of the relationship between the UK and the Overseas Territories resulted in the publication of the 1999 White Paper: Partnership for Progress and Prosperity. Since its publication many advancements have been made, including the modernization of some of the Overseas Territories Constitutions, the drafting of a Bill of Rights, establishment of institutions promoting good governance and the granting of full British citizenship.
There is no desire on the part of the Government or the UK to change the fundamental structure of our relationship, but this does not rule out constitutional evolution or reform where it may be necessary. In a letter from Mr. Henry Bellingham, the Minister for the Overseas Territories, the following three strands were proposed in order to take the strategy forward:
- Strengthening the engagement and interaction between the Territories and the UK by not only the sharing of expertise, but also by pursuing partnerships between local governments, the private sector, NGOs and professional bodies in the UK and their counterparts in the Territories.
- Collaborating with Territories to strengthen public financial management, economic planning and good governance arrangements where necessary.
- Improving the quality of support from the UK. For example, strategic investments in those Territories where the needs are greatest.
The Honourable Premier acting through the Cabinet Secretary has appointed a Committee, with a small Secretariat to provide support, to review these policy goals and to obtain the views of the general public and stakeholders. When the relationship between the UK and OTs was reviewed a decade ago there was no public consultation. This time around however, the UK is hoping to obtain feedback from as many people as possible. It is hoped that this process will also yield ideas that may improve the relationship between the UK and the Cayman Islands. We therefore want your views on priorities for each relationship and invite you to respond, in particular, to six key questions.
The United Kingdom will publish a White Paper on the Territories in 2012 that will set out in detail the Government’s approach to the Overseas Territories.
Any responses will need to take into account current global economic challenges which are likely to impose constraints on public expenditure in the UK and the Territories for the foreseeable future.