The dependencies contribute in different ways: Jersey funding an Army Reserve unit, Guernsey paying for passports to be produced and maintaining the Alderney Breakwater, and the Isle of Man making a cash payment directly to the UK exchequer.
This prompted a question from Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Wallace of Saltaire, who thinks the Channel Islands should contribute more.
He told Manx Radio: “In the context of the current fisheries dispute, the Royal Navy is providing support to the Channel Islands and this raises the question, which continues to be unresolved, of why Guernsey provides no financial support for Britain’s contribution to its security.
Pictured: Lord Wallace of Saltaire thinks that Jersey and Guernsey are lagging behind the Isle of Man when it comes to defence spending (Credit: Creative Commons.)
“The Isle of Man does have a clearer financial relationship with the UK than either Guernsey or Jersey.”
The Crown Dependencies were each asked to contribute towards their defence in the early 1980s.
In Jersey, after much political debate over the nature of the contribution, a Territorial Army unit was agreed by the States in 1986. This was expected to cost £6.5m over ten years, considerably cheaper than the alternative on the table: maintaining a minesweeper and Royal Navy Reserve Unit, which was estimated to cost £15m over the same period.
The Jersey Field Squadron, a Royal Engineers unit which became the modern incarnation of the Royal Jersey Militia, was established in 1988.
Pictured: Jersey’s total defence contribution over the past six years.
The Government’s budget for the Squadron has been around £1m a year for a number of years, but this is now increasing to £1.5m to cover rising equipment costs, changes to overhead allocation and the Armed Service’s Pension Scheme, and increasing costs to maintain the Field Squadron’s barracks, which includes a Napoleonic round tower at La Collette.
The on-island costs of running the Squadron are paid directly by the Government of Jersey and not via the Ministry of Defence.
Since 2015, Jersey has paid a total of £7.5m, including money paid to the MoD and spent locally.
With its £1.5m annual cost, the squadron is funded by each islander to the tune of around £14 a year.
However, a significant percentage of that £1.5m is spent in Jersey, in form of wages, pensions and locally sourced supplies and services.
Since its formation, a number of reservists have served on operational tours, including Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Locally, the unit has also provided manpower and equipment for construction projects, and it has also hosted visiting military and civilian groups at its Mount Bingham barracks.
By contrast, the Isle of Man makes a direct monetary contribution to the consolidated fund at HM Treasury. In 2020/21, this was more than £3.2m.
Since 2015, the Isle of Man has paid more than £18.6m.
Pictured: The Isle of Man’s annual defence contribution.
Based on last year’s contribution, each islander pays more than £38 a year for defence.
Guernsey makes part of its contribution in the form of payment of passport fees, which are passed to the UK Ministry of Justice are then handed over to the consolidated fund at HM Treasury.
The island also accepts ownership of the 910m Braye Harbour breakwater and is responsible for its repair, management and maintenance.
In 2019/20, Guernsey paid £546,778 to the UK in passport fees and £482,351 on the breakwater. Last year, the passport fee contribution was far lower because of the pandemic.
Since 2015, Guernsey has contributed £5.5m to its defence as part of the deal with the UK.
Taking last year’s £1m contribution, each islander in Guernsey pays around £16 a person a year.
Pictured: Guernsey’s two defence contributions.
In his written reply, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, who is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, said: “The UK is constitutionally responsible for the defence and international relations of the Crown Dependencies, in recognition of which the CDs make voluntary contributions to the UK Government, either financially – directly and indirectly – or by providing military personnel.
Pictured: Guernsey pay around £0.5m a year to maintain the almost kilometre-long breakwater protecting Alderney’s Braye Harbour.
“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.”