The appointment of local Deputy Governors has been welcomed by the Foreign Affairs Committee – as long as they are not party appointments.

And the committee recommend that Territory governments should be given an opportunity to pass on opinions about the candidates for Governor before appointments are made.

Those are some of the key findings amid a discussion by the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) of how Britain can best redefine how it conducts business with its overseas territories.

The all-party group came to Bermuda last March to compile its report. On the issue of the appointment of Governor and a Deputy Governor, it said: "We recommend that Territory governments should be given an opportunity to pass on their opinions of the candidates for Governor before appointments are made. We welcome the appointment of local individuals as Deputy Governors in some Overseas Territories, but urge the FCO to ensure those appointed are not seen to be politically partisan individuals."

The group also said the colonies should also be given more of a say about the running of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) which is the annual get together with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

The report said: "We also recommend that the FCO should consider ways of raising awareness of the OTCC within Overseas Territories, including, as far as possible, making papers tabled for the forum publicly available.

"We note that Overseas Territories' representatives reported that those issues raised in the OTCC which involved other Whitehall departments were least likely to be followed up and we recommend that the FCO continues to press other departments to take their responsibilities with regard to the Overseas Territories seriously."

The FCO was urged to get Overseas Territory governments whose offices in the UK are less active to consider ways of raising their profile.

The FAC also recommend that the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary should consider, with the Leader of the House and with representatives of the Opposition parties, whether improvements can be made in the ways in which the views of those in the Overseas Territories can be made known in the UK Parliament.

It followed a discussion about whether colonies should have their own representatives in the UK parliament.

However the FCO argued that the interests of Overseas Territories' voters were "quite different to those of British voters, and more appropriately served by their own territory legislatures".

It also argued that the setting up of the OTCC and the creation of a Minister with responsibility for the Overseas Territories had already strengthened Overseas Territories' voice at Westminster.

Many territories were not interested in formal direct representation but the MPs noted that the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) was in favour of formal representation in the House of Commons as he pointed out that the French and Dutch Territories had representation in their respective national parliaments.

Gibraltar also expressed interest in the concept however Overseas Territories Minister Meg Munn said the UK had a very different relationship to its Territories to that of France, for example, and argued that she did not therefore think it was appropriate for the UK to have representatives of its Territories in the House of Lords.

"However, she did not dismiss outright the possibility of membership on a personal basis in the second Chamber," said the report.

The MPs voiced concern that people from Overseas Territories can't be guaranteed protection against legal action or even intimidation or other abuse arising as a consequence of their giving evidence to select committee inquiries in the UK.

It urged the UK Government to introduce witness protection legislation to Overseas Territories, or as an alternative, to urgently require Overseas Territories to introduce equivalent legislation as a matter of good governance.

The FAC also recommended that representatives from Bermuda and other territories should be permitted to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday while the Foreign Secretary should continue to lay a wreath on behalf of other Territories.

And the FAC advised the UK Government to consider supporting wider participation of Overseas Territories in Commonwealth meetings and conferences, including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.