To ask Her Majesty's Government what decisions were taken at the Overseas Territories Consultative Committee meetings in December 2009. [HL1001]

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had open and frank exchanges with the Overseas Territory leaders (except Gibraltar, which did not attend) at this year's Overseas Territories Consultative Council on a wide range of subjects. We agreed the following in a communiqué issued after the meeting:

we would continue discussions on the relationship between the UK and the Overseas Territories;

the principles of good governance will be reported;

the UK would, where appropriate, assist the territories to meet their international obligations;

respect for human rights and the need to safeguard children will be guaranteed;

territories would extend to all the populated territories of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, during the course of 2010;

the territories would manage their finances so they are better placed to guard against downturns in their economies;

the Overseas Territories borrowing guidelines will be reviewed;

the importance of implementing recommendations from the Foot review of British offshore financial centres will be implemented in full; and

the UK would support efforts to tackle crime in the Overseas Territories.