BVI London Office Director Mr. Benito Wheatley has said there is a need for greater engagement from the UK Government and parliamentary support on key Overseas Territories issues.

Mr. Wheatley was addressing the second Overseas Territories (OT) All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in May. He said the key issues include climate change, biodiversity, ocean governance, immigration and frozen pensions.

Mr. Wheatley added, “It is important at this stage to get support from within the UK Parliament for greater UK Government focus on sustainable development issues in the Overseas Territories. We are pleased that there is support for this across Parliament.”

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons, Honourable Crispin Blunt MP, also spoke on United Kingdom Parliament support for Overseas Territories.

Mr. Blunt highlighted that, financial services and the OTs position in the European Union had placed greater international attention on the territories, and that the Foreign Affairs Select Committee is due to produce a report in the near future to take into consideration current, new and emerging issues in the OT-UK relationship.

Mr. Wheatley in his capacity as the Chairman of the United Kingdom Overseas Countries and Territories Association (UKOTA) thanked Mr. Blunt for his presentation.

The British Virgin Islands is the Chair of UKOTA and Mr. Andrew Rosindell MP is the Chair of the OT APPG.