14 February 2012 Last updated at 10:50 ET

Isle of Man defence 'undiminished' by UK cuts

Island services from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) will not be diminished by cuts, the chief minister has said.

The Isle of Man has had an agreement with the UK since 1992 which sees an annual Manx spend of about £3m.

This means the UK is responsible for defending the island and providing islanders with consular services.

Allan Bell said: "There is no indication the services, which the Isle of Man draws on, are being diminished."

He added: "This is a fixed payment and not directly linked to the size of the UK armed forces - it provides a whole raft of services to the Isle of Man, not just the overall defence, it provides embassy services around the world for island residents and other related matters."

In the House of Keys, MHK Kate Beecroft said if MoD services were being reduced, the island should seek to pay a reduction in its annual contribution.

The UK government unveiled its review of the armed forces, designed to tackle a £38bn black hole in the Ministry of Defence's budget, in October 2010.