(North Thanet)
(Con):...The representative of the Falkland Islands in the United Kingdom,
Sukey Cameron, also wrote to me, saying:
“The Overseas Territories have a different constitutional
relationship with the UK and are not independent Commonwealth
countries; therefore they should not be treated as such. To quote
from the 2012 White Paper on the Overseas Territories ‘…the
underlying constitutional structure between the UK and the
Territories, which form an undivided realm, is common to
all.’”
Of course, it is common to all, except in the case of pension
uprating, where it is not...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Pensions (Richard Harrington):...I felt it my duty when
taking on this portfolio to speak to as many people as possible.
In November last year, I attended a meeting at Lancaster House—a
very grand venue—where there were leaders from the overseas
territories. It was a big Joint Ministerial Council. I met many
of the people mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for North
Thanet, from Montserrat, the Falkland Islands and elsewhere.
They were very impassioned people who gave a series of speeches
that were basically saying the same thing. That has been
reflected in what has been said today. Several hon. Members,
including my hon. Friend, referred to people not having
parliamentary representation. That point was made strongly by the
hon. Member for Leeds North West (Greg Mulholland). I was born
and brought up in that constituency, so I accept what he said
about its minority communities; I was a descendant of one of
them. I could only say to the people at the conference that I was
there to listen. It seemed from what they told me that Ministers
of all persuasions have politely declined such an invitation
before. I know that this is a very impassioned debate. People do
feel very strongly about it, and it is not something that I take
lightly...
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