TNAG-1461-FCO40-1987-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-Hong-Kong--Gibraltar-and-1986 — Page 87

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and Anguilla), in the Atlantic north of the Falklands (St Helena,

St Helena Dependencies and Bermuda) and in the Pacific

(Pitcairn).

IV COSTS AND BENEFITS OF THE NINE DEPENDENCIES (1)

6 The 1973 Review made a careful analysis of the costs and

benefits of the dependencies. The costs associated with these nine dependencies were: international and political; defence;

communications; aid; and administration. On the benefits side of

the equation were: defence; communications and scientific

facilities; and economic resources. The largest quantifiable costs were aid and defence. But in general the most significant costs and benefits were found to be unquantifiable. Attention was particularly drawn to the "significant" political costs, defined to include the possibility of military intervention either following a break down of law and order or, conceivably, in conflicts with other powers. Except where significant benefits would be identified these costs tipped the balance of the authors' recommendations in favour of shedding responsibility for the dependencies. Of the nine only Bermuda, Pitcairn and St Helena/Ascension were considered to offer significant benefits: Bermuda because of its importance as a military base and its air staging facilities; Pitcairn as a

(1)

A similar analysis in the Research Department paper embraces a slightly different set of dependencies and so produces different figures.

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