Crown Dependencies: Finance
(asked on 1st November 2021) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Crown Dependencies last made financial contributions to the UK; and what were the amounts transferred.
The UK is constitutionally responsible for the defence and international relations of the Crown Dependencies (CDs), in recognition of which the CDs make voluntary contributions to the UK Government, either financially (directly and indirectly) or by providing military personnel. As these are general contributions in recognition of the UK’s overall responsibilities, and as it is in the interests of the UK to represent the whole British family internationally, these contributions are not intended to reflect the exact cost of either defending the Crown Dependencies or representing them internationally.
The Isle of Man makes a direct monetary contribution to the Consolidated Fund at HM Treasury. The Isle of Man’s payments are broken down in Table 1 below.
Table 1
Financial year | Isle of Man direct monetary contribution |
2020-21 | £3,236,233.76 |
2019-20 | £3,177,762.92 |
2018-19 | £3,121,881.25 |
2017-18 | £3,076,351.25 |
2016-17 | £3,032,381.72 |
2015-16 | £2,981,692.94 |
The Bailiwick of Jersey’s contribution is to maintain an Army Reserve Unit (the Jersey Field Squadron, part of the Royal Engineers) on the island. Jersey pays the UK Ministry of Defence’s costs associated with the Jersey Field Squadron and meets the on-island costs directly. Jersey’s total contribution can be found in Table 2 below.
Table 2
Year | Bailiwick of Jersey contributions |
2020 | £1,532,678.00 |
2019 | £1,514,701.00 |
2018 | £1,063,833.00 |
2017 | £1,065,461.00 |
2016 | £1,252,121.00 |
2015 | £1,069,039.00 |
The Bailiwick of Guernsey makes part of its contribution in the form of payment of passport fees, which are passed to the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ), these are subsequently paid over to the Consolidated Fund at HM Treasury. Guernsey also accepts ownership of the breakwater in Alderney and is responsible for its repair, management and maintenance. Guernsey’s contributions can be found in Table 3 below.
Table 3
Financial year | Bailiwick of Guernsey passport fees | Year | Bailiwick of Guernsey Alderney breakwater costs |
2020-21 | £287,812.00 * | 2020 | £521,750.00 |
2019-20 | £546,778.00 | 2019 | £482,351.00 |
2018-19 | £513,442.00 | 2018 | £515,633.00 |
2017-18 | £460,437.04 | 2017 | £302,702.00 |
2016-17 | £453,353.15 | 2016 | £473,930.00 |
2015-16 | £463,624.80 | 2015 | £442,154.00 |
*Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of passport fees from the Bailiwick of Guernsey in respect of 2020 was delayed and therefore receipted in 2021-22. £287,812.00 was received in June 2021 in respect of January 2020 to December 2020 and this amount will be reported in the MoJ Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022. The 2020-21 figure for Guernsey passport fees is lower than previous years, as Guernsey received a reduced number of passport applications due to the Covid-19 pandemic.