establish these Central Authorities.
As part of his function as a Central Authority the Lord Chancellor will act as Central Authority for the whole of the UK to whom incoming applications for the return of a child under the Conventions will be addressed by overseas Central Authorities, as it will be open to UK applicants to send outgoing applications for Central Authorities overseas through the Lord Chancellor (or the Secretary of State for Scotland).
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
7. The provisions of the Hague and European Conventions will be applied in the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. This will confer on parents of children abducted from these Islands the same rights to apply to Contracting States under the Conventions as are accorded to parents in the UK. The authorities in the Isle of Man and Jersey intend to introduce parallel legislation to this Act and the Jersey authorities have agreed that the provisions of the Act should be extended to Jersey by Order in Council made under section 28 of the Act.
8.
In England and Wales and Northern Ireland only the High Court and in Scotland only the Court of Session will have jurisdiction to determine applications under both the Hague and the European Conventions.
Dependent Territories
9.
Under Article 39 of the Hague Convention and Article 24 of the European Convention, a Contracting State may, by declaration, extend the Conventions to territories for the international relations of which it is responsible. Provision has been made by the UK in Section 28 of the Act, for extension of the Act and the Conventions to those territories wishing to become party to them.
10. I should therefore be grateful if, after consideration, you would let me know whether your territory would wish to be included in these arrangements.
11. I am copying this letter, with enclosures, to Governors in Anguilla, BVI, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands,
/St Helena
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