The government says that the case for one or more official Isle of Man representatives based permanently in London is strong, and should be examined.
However, this option, including the idea of sharing a team with Jersey and Guernsey, would be part dependent on what it would cost.
The idea was put forward by the Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Justice Committee as part of a range of ideas that included chaining the title crown dependency.
In its response, CoMin said that “any case for a permanent Isle of Man representative in London would need to be able to demonstrate clear advantages and value for money over virtual engagement and travel to the city as required”.
Face to face
While recognising that a presence in Westminster, would be useful, it would not remove the need for ministers or other officials to travel to London for some meetings or engagements.
The government added: “In relation to sharing resources, it should be recognised that although the interests of the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are often aligned, this is not always the case. Sometimes the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are competitors or simply have different policy positions and any shared resources, if such was possible, would need to be able to account for such differences.”
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