A fixed amount of aid money in London and grinding poverty elsewhere in the world adversely affected chances of hurricane-hit Cayman receiving recovery money from the UK.
A top Foreign and Commonwealth Office director told a press conference on Friday afternoon that even a major disaster within Britain itself would not immediately attract UK central government aid money.
Speaking at Government House at the end of a short visit to Cayman, FCO Director of the Americas and Overseas Territories Robert Culshaw said London could try to help with expertise and negotiations with possible contributors such as the European Union.
The conference heard that Cayman’s needs were being assessed and that borrowing requirements would be looked on sympathetically.
Mr. Culshaw explained that the UK had to focus on relief of the world’s worst poverty, climate change and Africa.
That was not to say there was no poverty in Cayman, nor was he underplaying this country’s difficulties, but by comparison, Cayman was better off in terms of per-capita income than many other countries, he said.
He pointed out that if a disaster hit Britain, the UK central government did not immediately pay out, and expected local authorities to do the essential work.
Mr. Culshaw was asked about Grenada benefiting more than Cayman in monetary terms as a result of the hurricane, replying the scale of the damage and loss of life had been greater there.
He said an incredible recovery had taken place in Cayman.
A huge amount had been done and there was tremendous will here, but great need remained, he added.
Asked about Cayman’s constitution, Mr. Culshaw said that although there were some points, fundamental bedrock items, on which they had to be firm, there was plenty of scope for modernising the constitution, and the UK wanted to examine them.
He felt sure it was possible to find something that Cayman wanted and that the UK wanted.
The project had no fixed deadline, it was an important process and they wanted to get it right, he said.
Related Videos
