Lords ‘Disappointed’ In Lack Of New White Paper
“It is therefore very disappointing that the Government has not also accepted the recommendation that flows logically from this, that a new White Paper is now urgently required, and should be brought forward in the current parliamentary session,” a letter from the British House of Lords Constitution Committee said.
This follows after the House of Lords Constitution Committee called for a new UK Government White Paper on the Overseas Territories, saying the existing 2012 document is “badly out of date” and that policies are now spread across a “confusing patchwork” of documents and principles.
The UK Government responded that it “partially agreed” with the recommendation and acknowledged that the 1999 and 2012 White Papers no longer reflect the full range of current geopolitical, climate, health, security and governance challenges.
However, it stopped short of committing to a new White Paper, saying its immediate focus would be on developing a Charter of Engagement and Partnership Compacts with individual territories. The Government said it remained open-minded about producing a new White Paper “in due course” and would keep the matter under review.
In a follow-up letter to Overseas Territories Minister Stephen Doughty dated July 22, committee chairman Lord Strathclyde said the Government’s acknowledgement effectively amounted to agreement that the existing White Paper was outdated.
He said it was “very disappointing” that the Government had not accepted the committee’s recommendation and repeated its call for a new White Paper to be developed during the current parliamentary session.
The full letter follows below [PDF here]:
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