THE Isle of Man will be making a submission to a UK parliamentary committee examining the future of the Commonwealth including its relationship with the Crown Dependencies.

Chief Minister Allan Bell said this morning, “The Island’s submission to the Foreign Affairs Committee will be a useful opportunity to explain our constitutional position to this influential group of MPs and inform them of the positive part we play within the wider Commonwealth family.”

The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, which scrutinises the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is looking at the value of the Commonwealth to its members and to the United Kingdom in particular.

The Committee’s terms of reference also includes consideration of the role and status of the Crown Dependencies, and of the British Overseas Territories, in relation to the Commonwealth.

Headed by The Queen, the Commonwealth promotes democracy and development and has a membership of 54 independent countries around the world. As a dependency rather than a sovereign state, the Isle of Man is not a member in its own right but is involved with related initiatives such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Commonwealth Youth Games.

The Foreign Affairs Committee has invited written submissions by January 20, 2012. More information about the Committee and its new inquiry into the role and future of the Commonwealth can be found at its website:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-archive/foreign-affairs-committee/