“We note that, in very small jurisdictions, it is possible for the existence of very significant economic, legal or political power to skew the operation of democratic government, and this is a possibility in respect of which the Ministry of Justice should remain vigilant,” the report, released yesterday, notes.
The wide-ranging, 54-page document is particularly critical of the way the termination of reciprocal health care agreements with the three dependencies – Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man – was handled.
Referring to the way the termination of the agreement with the Isle of Man in particular was handled, it notes, “This case is a good example of how relations between the Crown Dependencies and the UK government can be badly damaged by insensitive handling of an important issue…the Department of Health should have been aware, and the Ministry of Justice should have made it aware, that the issue of healthcare is an emotive one for islanders.
“It is simply unacceptable for the Isle of Man to be told, without warning, at a meeting on 1 July 2008 that the Reciprocal Health Agreement would be terminated.”
The Justice Committee said it decided to investigate the relationship between the UK and the Crown Dependencies following a previous inquiry into the representation of the Crown Dependencies during the Icelandic banking crisis.
The Ministry of Justice is the UK Government department responsible for the administration of the UK’s administration of the UK’s relationship with the Crown Dependencies, although overall responsibility for that relationship is shared across Whitehall.
‘Considerable workload’
The report noted the the Crown Dependencies team at the Ministry of Justice “carried a considerable workload” and said the ministry should therefore “reappraise the priorities for its Crown Dependencies work; focus more on its constitutional duties; and spend less time on issues for which it is not formally responsible”.
It urged “secondments of officials between UK Government departments and the Crown Dependencies" to foster better mutual understanding.
When conflicts arise, it said, the Ministry of Justice “should endeavor to find more creative ways of representing the interests of both parties”.
