NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
The Chief Ministers Office has responded to our request to the Manx government to render humanitarian assistance to refugees.
We wrote to his Office on September 3rd (see link):
https://www.celticleague.net/news/manx-government-urged-to-help-migrants/
The reply from the External Relations Team in the Cabinet Office is set out below:
“Dear Mr Moffatt
Thank you for your letter to the Chief Minister concerning the refugee crisis.
The Chief Minister is currently off-Island, but has asked me to respond to your letter on his behalf.
As you note in your letter, the Isle of Man is bound by the policy of the UK in relation to refugees, given our status as a Crown Dependency. As such we cannot act unilaterally in this regard. However, we have been monitoring developments in the UK closely; particularly the Prime Minister’s statement to the House of Commons on Monday 7 September, where Mr Cameron outlined the number of refugees the UK proposes it could resettle over the next five years. Officers are currently seeking clarification on the conditions guiding the UK scheme to understand whether the Isle of Man may have any role in helping to deliver the UK’s commitment. There would, of course, be a range of technical practicalities which will require careful consideration, should the UK seek the Island’s assistance.
The Isle of Man is a responsible member of the international community, with a clear role to play in supporting those countries that are still developing as well as responding to international crises. Since writing, you may have seen that the International Development Committee has unanimously agreed to assign the Emergency Aid budget for both August and September to support refugees fleeing Syria.
The British Red Cross, Christian Aid, CAFOD, Oxfam and Save the Children will each receive £10,000 to support their ongoing relief efforts. En addition a further £50,000 has been donated to the UN’S High Commissioner for Refugees. This funding will support search and rescue operations, reception centres for small island communities and emergency medical centres.
This approach is currently the most effective way to ensure that aid from the people of the Isle of Man reaches those in need as quickly as possible and is distributed by experienced organisations through established relief efforts.
This latest tranche of aid – £100,000 in funding – comes in addition to the £344,417 allocated to projects and initiatives since the conflict in Syria began.
The situation in Syria and across Europe is rapidly evolving and I can assure you that Government will continue to monitor developments.
Yours sincerely
Ms Sam McCauley
Head of External Relations Team”
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
15/09/15
THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE
The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues
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