Chief Minister Tony Brown MHK has welcomed further recognition of the Isle of Man’s growing ability to represent itself on the world stage. The Ministry of Justice has today (Wednesday, November 3) published its response to a House of Commons report on the United Kingdom’s management of its relationship with the Crown Dependencies. The Justice Committee review examined how the UK Government fulfils its constitutional responsibilities for the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, primarily through the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The Committee’s report, published in March this year, supported the Isle of Man’s desire to enhance its global standing and develop further opportunities to represent its own interests, both in the UK and abroad. In its response, the MOJ agrees that in future it should focus on constitutional matters in relation to the Crown Dependencies. It acknowledges that this approach would pave the way for the Isle of Man to deal directly with the relevant UK Government Departments on other policy issues, rather than go through the MOJ as currently happens. The Chief Minister said: ‘I am particularly pleased that the MOJ response recognises the Isle of Man’s status as a mature and responsible country, with the ability to represent itself in the international arena. Indeed, this is a key strategic aim of the Isle of Man Government and was reflected in our submission to the Justice Committee review. ‘The development of direct relationships with a number of UK Departments will provide opportunities for the Island to build a wider and fuller understanding of our position and policies across the UK Government,’ he added. The Island has increasingly acted on its own behalf in world affairs in recent years in order to reflect the differences between UK and Manx law and policies – most notably by concluding a significant number of bilateral tax agreements The Chief Minister welcomed a further endorsement of this approach and commented: ‘‘I am pleased that the MOJ response opens the way for the constitutional advancement of the Isle of Man through the use of wider entrustments. It also accepts that greater emphasis should be placed on the views of legal officers based in the Isle of Man when passing Bills for Royal Assent, which I am confident will accelerate our legislative process.’ He concluded: ‘The MOJ’s response covers a range of issues of importance to the Isle of Man and we will be giving careful consideration to those in due course. What it will do is allow us to develop our partnership with the MOJ, build stronger relationships with other UK Departments and continue our journey together towards the Island’s constitutional development and further enhancement of our international identity in a positive and proactive way.’ Ends