Speaking at Government House on Friday December 9, 2011, Mr. Colley also said the first phase of the consultation on it would end this month and encouraged Virgin Islanders to make their contributions.

“We last had White Paper back in 1999 which was produced by the previous UK Government. The current Government is having a distinctive policy that is strongly committed to the security of the Territories, which is strongly committed to providing financial support to the poorest Territories that need it.” Mr. Colley also said that the UK Government is providing significant financial support in Montserrat and has just announced more than two million pounds worth of investment in a new airport for St. Helena and a process of re-engagement with the Territory.

“And we see the white paper as a way of communicating to the UK Government machinery. The importance of working with the Overseas Territories and communicating to the people here is not the end of the process. The strategy will continue and we want to complete an initial phase of consultation through the website and to information from the Territory Government at the end of December. After that we wouldn’t have stopped listening, there would be a continuous dialogue and a continuous quest to find new opportunities to implement the strategy.”

Mr. Colley also noted the recent partnership forged between the VI Government and the Hertfordshire County Council to have athletes train for the Olympics as an example of social partnerships that the UK Government is hoping to build with all the overseas Territories.

Meanwhile, Mr. Colley apologised for the timing of the White Paper consultation and said he hoped that persons would continue to make their contribution as there is a commitment to publish the White Paper early next year. He also said there have already been interesting discussions on the website, which range from public financial management issues to questions of belongership and immigration.

According to the Wikipedia Encyclopaedia, A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In the Commonwealth of Nations, “white paper” is an informal name for a parliamentary paper enunciating government policy; in the United Kingdom these are mostly issued as “command papers”.

White papers are issued by the government and lay out policy, or proposed action, on a topic of current concern. Although a white paper may on occasion be a consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law.

Earlier, the UK Government Official had said he was here to follow up on discussions by the Governments of the Virgin Islands and the UK at the OTCC meeting in London last month and that one of the things that was under discussion was the new strategy for the Overseas Territories where the UK Government wants to have a much greater engagement with the Territories.