Chief Minister Reports On It's Consultative Meeting In London
The recent Overseas Territories Consultative Council meeting in the United Kingdom has agreed that there should be some level of consultation with governments of the Overseas Territories before Governors are appointed, it has been announced here. Chief Minister the Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal reported on the meeting during a press conference held at his office Tuesday afternoon. He said there was general consensus among the OT's on this issue. "This is a very sore point with the Overseas Territories and we will continue to discuss this matter until we can reach some mutual understanding," he said.
The Council meeting was held October 3rd-4th at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Chief Minister was accompanied to the UK, during an October 1st-11th mission, by Minister for Education and Culture Hon. Andrew Fahie, Permanent Secretary/CMO Mr. Bennet Smith and Mr. David Penn, Private Secretary to the Chief Minister. Director of Financial Services, Mr. Robert Mathavious, joined the delegation by October 5th. "The Consultative Meeting provided an excellent opportunity to understand the conditions and issues affecting the other Overseas Territories, share some of the issues unique to the Virgin Islands and understand more of the FC's thinking," Hon. O'Neal told reporters. He said issues of governance, ways to relate to the FCO and ways in which a smoother relationship with the UK could be developed came up. "Streamlining the processes for granting approval to the OT's to secure loans, project approval and aid, were discussed and agreed to at this meeting," he added. The issue concerning getting more timely approval from the UK to secure loans for major development projects was addressed. While there, the BVI government received approval to borrow money from the Caribbean Development Bank and Scotia Bank to continue with the airport scheme.
The UK OT Consultative Council meeting was attended by Baroness Scotland of Asthal Q.C, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; George Foulkes MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State/Department for International Development; Barbara Roche MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State/Home Office; Charles Clarke MP, Minister of State/Home Office; Jane Kennedy MP, Parliamentary Secretary/Lord Chancellor's Department and the Rt. Hon. The Lord Williams of Mostyn QC, The Attorney General. From the Overseas Territories, Hon. Osbourne Fleming, Chief Minister of Anguilla; Hon. Jennifer Smith JP, Premier of Bermuda; Hon. Ralph T. O'Neal OBE, Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands; Hon. Truman M. Bodden, OBE, Leader of Government Business in the Cayman Islands; Councillor Mike Summers of the Falkland Islands; Hon. Peter Caruana, Chief Minister of Gibraltar; Hon. David Brandt MLC, Chief Minister of Montserrat; Mr. Steve Christian, Mayor of Pitcairn; Councillor Eric George of St. Helena and Hon. Derek Taylor, Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands, attended.
According to the agenda for the meeting, the officials discussed the Relationship Between the UK and OT's, Accessible Justice and Sustainable Development and Natural Resources. Sessions focused on constitutional issues/good governance; international initiatives and financial issues; immigration policy and nationality issues; policy and internal security including prison services and drugs; judicial cooperation: administration of justice and community legal initiatives; human rights and the OT's; the White Paper on globalisation; economic stabilisation and diversification and entrepreneurial development programmes.