H O U S E O F K E Y S O F F I C I A L R E P O R T
R E C O R T Y S O I K O I L Y C H I A R E A S F E E D
P R O C E E D I N G S
D A A L T Y N
HANSARD
Douglas, Tuesday, 24th November 2020
All published Official Reports can be found on the Tynwald website:
www.tynwald.org.im/business/hansard
Supplementary material provided subsequent to a sitting is also published to the website as a Hansard Appendix. Reports, maps and other documents referred to in the course of debates may be consulted on application to the Tynwald Library or the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office.
Volume 138, No. 5
ISSN 1742-2264
Published by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald, Legislative Buildings, Finch Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3PW. © Court of Tynwald, 2020 HOUSE OF KEYS, TUESDAY, 24th NOVEMBER 2020
Present:
The Speaker (Hon. J P Watterson) (Rushen); The Chief Minister (Hon. R H Quayle) (Middle); Mr J R Moorhouse and Hon. G D Cregeen (Arbory, Castletown and Malew); Hon. A L Cannan and Hon. T S Baker (Ayre and Michael); Mr C C Thomas and Mrs C A Corlett (Douglas Central); Mrs C L Barber and Mr C R Robertshaw (Douglas East); Hon. D J Ashford MBE and Mr G R Peake (Douglas North); Mrs C S B Christian and Mr S P Quine (Douglas South); Mr M J Perkins and Mrs D H P Caine (Garff); Hon. R K Harmer and Hon. G G Boot (Glenfaba and Peel); Mr W C Shimmins (Middle); Mr R E Callister and Ms J M Edge (Onchan); Hon. A J Allinson and Mr L L Hooper (Ramsey); with Mr R I S Phillips, Secretary of the House.
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Business transacted
1. Questions for Oral Answer ...... 393 1.1. Domestic abuse online portals – DHA action ...... 393 1.2. Ronaldsway Airport – Details of Lemaurey engagement ...... 394 1.3. Public transport – Acceptance of mobility devices ...... 396 1.4. Student accommodation costs – DESC representations to universities ...... 401 1.5. Isle of Man students in the UK – Challenges ...... 403 1.6. Noble’s Hospital – Oncology services ...... 405 1.7. New school at Castle Rushen – Progress ...... 407 1.8. Planning appeals awaiting ministerial determination – Details ...... 409 1.9. Go Gold bus passes – Eligibility criteria ...... 412 1.10. Medicinal cannabis – Prescription details...... 414 1.11. Queen Street, Castletown – Residents’ parking ...... 416 Standing Order 3.5.1(2) suspended to take remaining Oral Questions ...... 417 1.12. Smarter movement strategy – Details ...... 418 1.13. Bus Vannin – Passes for the disabled ...... 422 1.14. Next IoM census – Date and process ...... 425 Procedural – Leave of absence granted; extension granted for Written Question 2.5...... 428 2. Questions for Written Answer ...... 428 2.1. Pan-Government COVID-19 outbreak management plan – Publication ...... 428 2.2. 2016 Isle of Man Census Project Review – Recommendations for 2021 census ...... 428 2.3. Tourist accommodation – Regulations for extended occupation ...... 429 2.4. Year 13 students – Free school meals and higher education ...... 430 2.5. IoM schools – Condition surveys ...... 431 2.6. Flats and houses in multiple occupation – Registration ...... 435 2.7.-2.8. FTE GP partners, salaried GPs and consultants – Numbers ...... 436 2.9. Electronic prescription service – Plans ...... 438 2.10. IoM COVID-19 antibody testing – Report ...... 438 2.11. Sub-sea cable – Supply and IoM usage ...... 439 2.12. Energy from Waste Plant – Output ...... 448
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Order of the Day ...... 449 3. Leave to Introduce ...... 449 Private Member’s Bill to amend the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 – Leave to introduce granted ...... 449 4. Bill for Third Reading ...... 451 4.1. Medicines (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Third Reading approved...... 451 5. Consideration of Council Amendments ...... 452 5.1. Sexual Offences and Obscene Publications Bill 2019 – Council amendments considered ...... 452 The House adjourned at 11.52 a.m...... 453
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House of Keys
The House met at 10 a.m.
[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]
The Speaker: Moghrey mie, good morning, Hon. Members.
Members: Moghrey mie, good morning, Mr Speaker. 5 The Speaker: I call on the Chaplain to lead us in prayer.
PRAYERS The Chaplain of the House
1. Questions for Oral Answer
HOME AFFAIRS
1.1. Domestic abuse online portals – DHA action
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mrs Corlett) to ask the Minister for Home Affairs:
What action his Department will take to encourage organisations and businesses that have an online presence to adopt the use of a discreet portal to provide support, advice and contact information for those experiencing domestic abuse?
The Speaker: Thank you very much. We turn now to Questions for Oral Answer and Question 1 is in the hands of the Hon. Member for Douglas Central, Mrs Corlett. 10 Mrs Corlett: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister for Home Affairs what action his Department will take to encourage organisations and businesses that have an online presence to adopt the use of a discreet portal to provide support, advice and contact information for those experiencing 15 domestic abuse?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Home Affairs to reply.
The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Cregeen): Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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20 First of all, Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the Hon. Member for bringing this to my attention and also to the Department’s. Online Safe Spaces is a discreet internet portal that opens in a pop-up window, which can be installed on both internal and external websites. The service provides support, advice and helpful contact numbers for those at risk of domestic abuse. It leaves no internet history trace and 25 provides quick exit options for the person seeking information. I would absolutely encourage Isle of Man businesses to get involved in this service. I note that at present the directory service as offered by the portal does not include the Isle of Man based services for victims of domestic abuse but I will be asking officers to make enquiries to ensure that we can get this done. 30 Finally, the domestic abuse strategy which supports the new legislation will be released shortly and contains a strand of work on awareness and pathways for victims of domestic abuse. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mrs Corlett. 35 Mrs Corlett: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would the Minister agree that if local organisations, companies and businesses had the opportunity to have a free portal on their websites – and this could include Government, news and media, the Post Office, popular sites where victims of domestic abuse would have a legitimate 40 reason to visit, sites that do not arouse suspicion from an abuser – this would not only provide a lifeline to those who are experiencing domestic abuse but would also raise public awareness of the issue itself? Would the Minister agree that there have been some positive actions and initiatives very recently due to COVID-19 but would he also agree that our aim must be to ensure that 45 non-legislative aspects of tackling domestic abuse must make real progress before the end of this administration?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
50 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Yes, I would agree, and I have asked officers to try and get this progressed. It is a UK-based system, so we are making those enquiries and I am sure by the end of this administration we will have made some way forward.
INFRASTRUCTURE
1.2. Ronaldsway Airport – Details of Lemaurey engagement
The Hon. Member for Douglas South (Mr Quine) to ask the Minister for Infrastructure:
What the terms of reference are for the consultants Lemaurey engaged at Ronaldsway Airport; how they were selected; and how much the consultancy has cost?
The Speaker: Question 2, and I call on the Hon. Member for Douglas South, Mr Quine. 55 Mr Quine: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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I would like to ask the Minister for the Department of Infrastructure what the terms of reference are for the consultants Lemaurey currently engaged at Ronaldsway Airport; how they were selected; and how much the consultancy has cost? 60 The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Infrastructure to reply.
The Minister for Infrastructure (Mr Baker): Thank you, Mr Speaker. The terms of reference for consultants Lemaurey are to support, offer advice and give guidance 65 to the Airport team in the following areas: regulation compliance and licensing; processes and policy; quality and continuous improvement; airport management; training certification and competency; operational procedures; and airport strategy and planning. The company were originally selected from three organisations that were approached and asked to quote for such work. The consultancy has cost a sum of £64,182.12 since 1st April 2019. 70 Thank you.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Quine.
Mr Quine: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 75 In view of such, could the Minister indicate how long the Department intend to engage the consultants Lemaurey in their current capacity?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
80 The Minister: I can confirm that the current arrangements are expected to last until at least the end of February 2021.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Perkins.
85 Mr Perkins: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister were any of the local aviation specialists consulted to give them the opportunity to offer consultation on this?
The Speaker: Minister to reply. 90 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The service was offered and there were two other companies that tendered. I cannot confirm whether they are locally based or not, but I am quite happy to come back to the Hon. Member to clarify. 95 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Quine.
Mr Quine: Thank you, Mr Speaker. In view of such, at the end of the contractual period of which Lemaurey are engaged, would 100 the Minister therefore confirm that they will be looking to source suitably qualified local companies or individuals to undertake the task?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
105 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think the Hon. Member makes a very important point that we should make best use of the expertise that is available to us on Island. Equally, it is absolutely fundamental that we get the right expertise into the Airport. Obviously this is a regulated environment, the Civil Aviation
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Authority do regulate the Airport’s performance and it is absolutely critical that we have got the 110 right processes, procedures and competencies within the Airport, so I do not believe that we should close down our opportunity to get the right expertise into the Airport. However, if we have got local providers who can give that expertise then certainly we should be considering them.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Perkins. 115 Mr Perkins: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would the Minister look into the possibility of opening the remit up of this consultation regarding the cross Government air links and how we actually handle our air links? Because we have the Health Services putting £2.6 billion or thereabouts into the Liverpool route, I understand 120 that we are going to be underwriting the Heathrow route, and I think it should really be looked into how we go forward as a united … All the Departments get themselves together and have a united front on our air services.
The Speaker: Obviously we do not want to broaden out the Question, Minister, but if that is 125 within the remit, please do advise.
Mr Baker: I think, to quote Meatloaf, ‘You took the words right out of my mouth’ there, Mr Speaker. (Laughter) I think this is far beyond the scope of the Question. This sounds more like a debate about open 130 skies policy. The Hon. Member will, I am sure, be delighted to have seen the confirmation of the service to Heathrow from Loganair yesterday, (A Member: Hear, hear.) which is a key building block in maintaining our essential connectivity, but I do not think it is anything to do with the terms of reference with the consultants of Lemaurey or how they were selected or how much the consultancy has cost.
1.3. Public transport – Acceptance of mobility devices
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mr Thomas) to ask the Minister for Infrastructure:
Pursuant to his Answers provided on 27th October 2020, why Bus Vannin has not adopted the Confederation of Passenger Transport voluntary code of practice for the use and acceptance of mobility scooters on low-floor buses; and why Bus Vannin will not allow Class 2 mobility scooters on its buses?
135 The Speaker: ‘Like a bat out of Hell’, it is Question 3, and I call on the Hon. Member for Douglas Central, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I beg leave to ask the Minister for Infrastructure pursuant to his Answers provided on 140 27th October 2020, why Bus Vannin has not adopted the Confederation of Passenger Transport voluntary code of practice for the use and acceptance of mobility scooters on low-floor buses; and why Bus Vannin will not allow Class 2 mobility scooters on its buses?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Infrastructure to reply. 145 The Minister for Infrastructure (Mr Baker): Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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Every passenger boarding a bus has the right to know that the bus is safe for them to travel on. All Bus Vannin vehicles are constructed to UNECE Regulation No 107 standards, which apply in 41 countries, and are developed through research and testing. 150 For those who are not familiar, UNECE is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and Regulation 107 concerns the uniform provisions concerning the approval of category M2 or M3 vehicles with regard to their general construction and M2 and M3 vehicles are coaches and buses. So those are the international standards that apply to construction of buses and coaches. The Confederation of Passenger Transport voluntary code that the Hon. Member, Mr Thomas, 155 refers to, is a voluntary code which has been adopted by some UK bus and coach operators. However, Mr Speaker, it does not adhere to those international standards, UNECE Regulation 107. It would therefore be inappropriate for us to adopt the code. The Department will wait until the international standards for both the construction of a mobility scooter and the on-bus restraint measures are set before allowing that type of operation. 160 In the meantime, Bus Vannin will continue to operate with the high standards of safety that are expected.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
165 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would the Minister confirm that this CPT code was actually developed in conjunction with the UK government, which is a member of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and it has been used by nearly all bus companies across, so it cannot be some sort of dodgy code? Secondly, would the Minister confirm that buses, at least one bus sold from Bus Vannin has 170 been used across under this code, without any adaptation, and therefore why can’t Bus Vannin use its buses before it sells them without any adaptation, despite this code?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
175 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I can confirm that the code is in use and has been adopted in the UK. However, I think Mr Thomas’s statement that nearly all bus companies have adopted it is not something I can agree with. My understanding is that it covers only 21,000 of the 70,000 buses and coaches in the UK and 180 almost half of those 21,000 that are covered by it operate in London, which is clearly a very different environment to that of the Isle of Man, in particular in terms of the speed at which the buses travel. And that is relevant given the size and weight of such mobility scooters and the potential impact should an incident arise which leads to the mobility scooter being thrown around in the bus, now, that is a risk, and that is something that we have to be mindful of. 185 Secondly, Mr Thomas refers to one bus being sold to an operator in the UK and used within this code. I do not have proof of that, but I understand that to be the case. It does not however mean that that bus is suitable for use in that manner, nor indeed that the operator is delivering a safe travel experience for all its passengers. It just means that an operator has bought a second-hand bus and is using it in that context. 190 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would the Minister confirm that Centrebus does not operate in London and it is operating in 195 an environment that is quite like the Isle of Man, I believe? Secondly, would the Minister confirm that he is happy with that perspective, as a politician, in light of the public sector equality duty to keep an open mind, which was reinforced after the third
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oversight of the imposition of the Equality Act obligations to treat everybody fairly in terms of public transport was overruled by Tynwald last Tuesday? 200 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much. I will take both parts of Mr Thomas’s question, but dealing with the first part first, if you could 205 clarify, Mr Thomas, your reference to Centrebus operating in an area that is quite like the Isle of Man, which area does he believe is quite like the Isle of Man? Because I think the Isle of Man is unique.
Mr Thomas: A Centrebus does not operate in London, it is not carrying passengers at slow 210 speed between urban stops.
The Minister: So, you have told me, Mr Thomas, where it is not operating, I would like to know where it is operating.
215 The Speaker: We are not going to have …this is not a back and forward. (Laughter) Minister, maybe you could just move on to the second part of the question.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The second part of the question is of very significant importance and it is a difficult issue to 220 solve. We have people who are reliant on mobility scooters, we have people who are reliant on buses, and there is much more work to be done between the Department and the Equality Advisor and the Equality Champion to move the situation forward. I would be the first to acknowledge that where we are currently is not where we need to be, and my Department is committed to moving this issue forward. 225 However, like many things, Mr Speaker, this is not a simple fix. Accessibility as a principle is something that the Department is already demonstrating with its work, for example, on rolling out more accessible bus stops across the Island, which is a major investment of both time and finance. And we are currently working with the Equality Champion and her adviser to introduce equality provisions, potentially via the Road Traffic Legislation Bill 2020, which is in front of 230 Legislative Council currently, and we are in discussion about some amendments which would then potentially, if approved, lead to modifications to the Road Transport Act 2001. And that would be the first element and a fundamental element in introducing equality provisions to the transport sector in regard of public passenger vehicles. However, there is much more work to be done, Mr Speaker. It is complex and we cannot solve 235 it immediately. If it was easy, it would have been done by now. Consideration has to be given to the needs of all the travelling public, and it is likely that introducing mobility scooters on to buses would require some compromises around those aspects so those things need to all be looked at in the round.
240 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The Minister mentioned UNECE 107, I would be grateful if he could point to the very specific section of that code that prohibits the carrying of Class 2 mobility scooters on low-floor buses. I 245 cannot see anything in that code that actively prohibits the carrying of these scooters. Secondly, he is conflating two issues, he is talking about how we are going to fix this with legislative change but he has also said the buses cannot carry these things safely. Well, how does changing the law enable a bus to carry it safely? What is it in the law that is preventing his
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Department making reasonable adjustments to the buses to enable these scooters to be carried 250 safely?
Two Members: Hear, hear.
The Speaker: Minister to reply. 255 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. As I say, this is a complex issue. Mr Hooper has obviously studied the UNECE 107 Regulation, and I take it from his comments that it is not a specific prohibition, it is the way those regulations work. We would have to modify the bus in order to adapt it to carry the mobility scooter. And 260 there is no standard for the construction of mobility scooters so we could have a whole variety of different scooters, all of which would bring different challenges to allow them to be compatible with buses. The current designs do not have anchor points, for example, that a restraint could be attached to. And the issue is compounded by the fact that mobility scooters have a higher centre of gravity compared with a wheelchair. 265 So this is a complicated area. I am committed to the Department addressing it and coming forward with some proposals, but I am not going to make commitments until I fully know the implications of those commitments and what effect it has on the safety of passenger transport on the Island and the operation of the bus and coach service.
270 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would the Minister confirm his Answer of October, whereas the Centrebus use is without any adjustments, so it is not a question of reasonable adjustments? 275 Secondly, can the Minister take this as an opportunity to actually identify Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 mobility device user categories? Because they are clearly defined, contrary to what the Minister has just said. Thirdly, for the benefit of the next few weeks, can the Minister outline very specifically what screening of Bus Vannin policies and procedures the Department or Bus Vannin has done for 280 equality impact? What assessments it has done after that screening and whether the Minister is happy to stand up to defend his Equality Act compliance in coming months?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
285 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Again, just to take issue with the point made by Mr Thomas that whatever Centrebus have done is a matter for Centrebus; it does not imply that you can safely adapt your buses to carry these mobility scooters in a safe and responsible manner. So those questions he should be asking of Centrebus, in whichever area of the UK they operate. 290 I have said very clearly from my Answer that this is an area that needs much further work. I am quite happy to engage with this, to take it forward. I have said explicitly, we cannot stay where we are, we need to move it forward and the issues that Mr Thomas has raised I am quite happy to pick up and update this Hon. House in due course when I have got clarity on this complex issue.
295 The Speaker: Supplementary Question, Ms Edge.
Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just to continue on the theme of equality impact assessments, can the Minister confirm when he has just recently purchased two years’ worth of new buses, that an equality impact assessment 300 was done, and why were these not compatible?
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The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: The bus replacement policy is an ongoing matter and I think the Hon. Member is probably referring to the hybrid buses that we have just bought as part of our adaptation to 305 climate change. As I have said, this is a complex issue.
Ms Edge: Equality impact assessment.
The Minister: Equality impact assessment, in what regard, Ms Edge? 310 The Speaker: No, Minister, you just have to answer about whether the equality impact assessment has been undertaken regarding the purchase of the new buses. I really cannot be having Members having a conversation across the floor for the morning.
315 The Minister: I am happy to clarify and update Hon. Members accordingly.
The Speaker: Thank you. Supplementary question, Mrs Christian.
320 Mrs Christian: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Obviously this is a very emotive subject, and I appreciate this affects a lot of people. Will the Minister commit to looking forward in the future for the Department to buying vehicles that are able to safely carry mobility scooters, all mobility scooters, when they are available to buy one from our suppliers? 325 Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 330 I think that that is a very fair question from the Hon. Member. When those vehicles are available, when the standards are in place so that we know there is some standardisation around mobility scooters that will give us the ability to do that, and I am happy that we embrace the principle of inclusivity into our bus service. But we have to deal with the landscape in which we are, Mr Speaker. 335 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Actually it is the same question that I asked the Minister earlier: which sections of the 340 legislation actively prohibit his Department from making any adjustments that are necessary to the buses to carry mobility scooters, specifically Class 2 mobility scooters? The reason I ask this is because I would also like the Minister to confirm that there is in fact no legal prohibition on the buses carrying Class 2 mobility scooters. In fact, the buses we use on our routes are used elsewhere in the world, notably in the United Kingdom on very similar routes. So 345 I am really struggling to understand what the Minister’s issue is here. There is nothing in law that says you cannot do this, there is nothing in common sense, it would appear, that says you cannot do this. There is a standard code that has been adopted by a large number of UK bus companies which does set out standard sizes, conditions and measurements for Class 2 mobility scooters that meet the conditions of that code. So really the Minister is bouncing around everywhere with all 350 these different arguments, ‘It is not legal. There is no standard. We have to wait for new buses.’ Which one of these things is it actually, Minister?
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The Speaker: Minister to reply.
355 The Minister: Thank you very much. I think my original Answer, Mr Speaker, made it very clear that all our buses are constructed to the UNECE standards –
Mr Hooper: Which does not prohibit anything. 360 The Minister: And this code, which Mr Thomas is advocating that we adopt, which has been adopted by a minority of UK bus operators – the majority have not operated this, and those that have are operating in different environments. The code does not adhere to accepted international standards so therefore that is the primary reason that we are not able to adopt it now. But I have 365 committed to look at this, I have committed to update this Hon. House, Mr Speaker, and that is what I will do.
The Speaker: Final supplementary, Mr Thomas.
370 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would the Minister confirm then that no equality impact assessment has been done for the new buses since the Equality Act came into force? Secondly, would the Minister confirm that nobody is looking to have Class 3 mobility scooters, which are the ones that have to be registered and on a road go up to 8mph? The simple choice is 375 to have Class 1 and Class 2 mobility devices which can only go on pavements at up to 4mph, so do not need to be registered on buses, like wheelchairs and like prams. Is the Minister also aware, can he confirm that he is aware, that the CPT code covers priority, it involves training for the users, it involves registration, it involves making arrangements, specific ad-hoc arrangements to help mobility scooters? It sounds to me that the Minister is prepared to 380 go to an equality tribunal actually with no knowledge of the current situation and defend an absolutely ridiculous position. Does the Minister agree?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
385 The Minister: No, I do not agree, Mr Speaker. (Laughter)
EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE
1.4. Student accommodation costs – DESC representations to universities
The Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew (Mr Moorhouse) to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture:
What recent representations he has made to universities which are refusing to reduce the amount students have to pay for their accommodation?
The Speaker: We turn to Question 4. I call on the Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, Mr Moorhouse.
Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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390 I would like to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture what recent representations he has made to universities which are refusing to reduce the amount students have to pay for their accommodation?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture to reply. 395 The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture (Dr Allinson): Thank you, Mr Speaker. To date I have made no representations to universities with regard to any reductions in accommodation costs. Whilst the Education Service provides maintenance grants to eligible students, which they may 400 use towards their accommodation costs, students’ accommodation agreements in university halls of residence or with private landlords are private matters between the student and those parties. If a student choses to come back to the Island early and with the permission of the university continue this semester’s work from here, that is their personal choice, but they will still be obligated to pay for their accommodation under the contract they have entered into with their 405 landlord. Thank you.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse.
410 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you, Minister. Has the Department any data to support the claims by some students that they are now dropping out of university so they can get out of rental agreements?
The Speaker: Minister to reply. 415 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We have not been approached directly by any students in that particular predicament. I know that obviously the situation in the United Kingdom is quite unstable at the moment and students have been coming home early, but that has mainly been on health grounds and also 420 because a lot of their courses have gone purely online. But certainly, if any students are having problems across with their accommodation provider or with their finance I would be very happy to talk with them and see if there is anything we can do to try to help the situation. Thank you. 425 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse.
Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The word ‘entrapment’ was recently used by a student to describe the current situation. In 430 September she had to enrol, attend the university and sign a tenancy agreement. All her lectures and tutorials are now online. One student voice is not very effective but at several UK universities the Department is supporting many Manx students. Would the Department consider this being a leverage and a way in which the Department’s voice could actually be heard louder than one student’s? 435 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for saying what obviously a constituent had said to him 440 about feeling trapped. I think this is a wider issue in terms of the student experience of going across at the moment and feeling trapped because of the health situation. But again, these
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students are going into a legal agreement with the landlord, whether that be a private landlord or the university. I am aware that the National Union of Students in the United Kingdom had a ‘Student Safety 445 Net’ campaign and did a bulk approach to various universities to reduce their fees during the lockdown earlier on in the year, and certainly I would encourage any students across to contact their student union, or in fact the Manx Students’ Union for support with that. The Department supports students at 75 different universities and so it is very difficult to have a concerted effort with all those providers, but if students are having problems with their 450 accommodation provider I would ask them to get in contact with the Department so that we could help if we can. Certainly earlier on this year, when people were having issues getting their possessions back from universities, we did make representations to all those universities, pointing out the situation that Manx students were in, and many of them gave special dispensation. 455 Thank you.
1.5. Isle of Man students in the UK – Challenges
The Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew (Mr Moorhouse) to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture:
What personal and financial challenges face students studying in the UK?
The Speaker: Question 5. I again call on the Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, Mr Moorhouse.
Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 460 I would like to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture what personal and financial challenges face students studying in the UK?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture to reply.
465 The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture (Dr Allinson): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I would like to thank the Hon. Member for this rather broad Question. It must be said that as each student is an individual and with different circumstances, the personal and financial challenges they face will vary. Whilst most Manx students studying in the UK are supported by the Department, some are 470 self-funding. I am sure that almost every student would say they have financial challenges. The way the Education Service supports them financially consists of contributions towards course tuition fees and sometimes living costs. In respect of university tuition costs, fees for a typical undergraduate course are £9,250 per academic year. Our Education Service is able to support eligible students up to a maximum of 475 £6,750 towards their course fee costs, with the remaining costs able to be covered by a student loan offered by the Department of £2,500. For living costs, a means-tested maintenance grant of a maximum of £7,500 per academic year, or £8,000 for the London area, is available to eligible students as Government’s contribution towards accommodation and other living expenses, such as food, materials and travel. 480 It is estimated that the average annual accommodation cost for a student is approximately £4,900, although costs will differ according to the type of accommodation and the area in which
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the student lives whilst attending university. Most rents include bills of some kind, although we estimate that one third of students will be required to pay additional charges on top of their rent. Our students are talented and resilient but when they leave the Island to study they have the 485 obvious initial challenge of continuing to work hard to reach their potential in their chosen course. They will also have the challenge of needing to adapt to new surroundings and a new lifestyle whilst away from home, sometimes for the first time. These are difficult enough challenges in any ordinary year, but the continuing COVID-19 health emergency may present additional challenges for students, including adapting to remote learning 490 and other necessary adjustments as coronavirus disruption continues to be felt across the United Kingdom and the island of Ireland. In terms of support, all of our students will have access to their institution’s student support services as well as pastoral care wherever they are studying, giving them access to help and advice should they need it. 495 In addition, our own Student Awards website page includes signposting to wellbeing and other support resources, including adapting to university, mental health, dealing with stress and other useful links. Thank you.
500 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse.
Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you, Minister, for such a comprehensive Answer. Has the Department considered offering any additional financial support, given the number of 505 students who would normally have part-time employment to help support themselves? Also, some students on maintenance grants are struggling to cover the additional costs, and has there been an increased uptake in students applying for loans this year? Thank you.
510 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am not aware that there has been a significant increase in the number of students applying for loans this year. 515 In terms of those students across, I think the Hon. Member makes a good point that some of those rely upon employment to supplement their income while they are across and that employment has been put in jeopardy by the various lockdowns in the United Kingdom. I know that the Department have been approached by a few individuals who are finding this difficult, and we have directed them to the selection of endowments, bursaries, scholarships and 520 educational trust funds which are on the Student Awards website. Thank you.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse.
525 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you for that useful information. I recently asked for information on Facebook about the challenges students are facing in the UK at the current moment. Within 48 hours over 50 students sent messages which referred to mental health issues. I know you have previously mentioned the support available through the Department, but would you please reaffirm that and put that forward again? 530 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
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I think this Hon. House is very aware of the issues around young people and mental health. 535 Obviously young people going to university have extra challenges and then we have a health emergency in the United Kingdom with lots of uncertainty, people in isolation at the very time when they feel isolated anyway. So I think the Hon. Member makes a very good point about students’ mental health. One of the important aspects of that is that we recommend that any student joining university 540 across registers with a local GP surgery so that they can access health facilities while they are away. They can access counselling facilities provided by the university, but similarly we do provide a lot of signposting on our website. And when those students are back on the Isle of Man there are a range of opportunities to get help and advice, either through the Department and our links with UCM, or through the Department of Health with their online support for people who may be 545 struggling with mental health issues or a more formal referral on for counselling. Thank you.
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
1.6. Noble’s Hospital – Oncology services
The Hon. Member for Onchan (Ms Edge) to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care:
If he will make a statement on oncology services at Noble’s Hospital?
The Speaker: We turn to Question 6, and I call on the Hon. Member for Onchan, Ms Edge.
Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 550 I would like to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care if he will make a statement on oncology services at Noble’s Hospital?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Health and Social Care to reply.
555 The Minister for Health and Social Care (Mr Ashford): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Oncology services, both in Noble’s and across the wider DHSC, are currently undergoing a range of changes as we transition towards Manx Care. A new cancer strategy has recently been drafted, which we aim to finalise within the Department early in the new year. This new cancer strategy presents an integrated model for 560 cancer services for the future, aiming to provide a supportive pathway for those with a suspected cancer through diagnostics, treatment, to living with and beyond cancer. The strategy will also take into account the outputs from the Transformation pathfinder team, who have also started their process to review cancer services. Workshops, stakeholder interviews, and service user involvement surveys are currently being undertaken to develop a better 565 understanding of the patient pathways and areas for service development. There have been many challenges over recent months within cancer services, including the impact of COVID-19 and increasing numbers of referrals beyond the capacity in place. Patients with a diagnosed cancer have continued to receive treatment locally or with our tertiary centre partners despite the impact of COVID-19, although this may not have been within 570 the usual cancer waiting time targets. We will continue to prioritise the diagnosis and treatment of cancer throughout Noble’s Hospital, including how patients continue to be monitored throughout their pathway to ensure access to services.
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The Speaker: Supplementary question, Ms Edge. 575 Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I wonder if the Minister – because there was no mention of this within his statement – can confirm that we do have an oncologist on Island at present to support patients? And can the Minister also confirm that access to oncologists for patients who have a terminal 580 diagnosis is face to face? Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
585 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Obviously it was a wide-ranging Question. What I can confirm is that we do have visiting oncologists, and as far as I am aware it is face to face. But if the Hon. Member has any evidence that says that it is not I would be interested to hear that, because certainly from my point of view, where it is a terminal diagnosis it should be done face to face. 590 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Callister.
Mr Callister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I ask the Health Minister for an update on the negotiations with Clatterbridge and when 595 the Isle of Man will actually have a signed contract in place? Thank you.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
600 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Unfortunately COVID-19 did delay our negotiations with Clatterbridge. From our side, we have everything pretty much ready to go, but as you can expect, Clatterbridge itself has been rather busy over recent months, so it has been delayed. But we wish to get that back up and running as quickly as possible and to get a signed contract in place early in the new year. 605 The Speaker: Ms Edge, supplementary question.
Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Minister said there are visiting oncologists, if he has not got the information, can the 610 Minister circulate to all Members how many times the visiting oncologists have been on Island and how many patients they have actually seen during that period? And I just wonder if the Minister could confirm, is there a cancer specialist nurse dealing with a lot of these patients at the present time?
615 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will have that information circulated.
620 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Callister.
Mr Callister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I just push the Minister slightly on the date in the new year? Can the Minister give reassurance that that contract will be in place, say by March next year? Because those 625 negotiations have been ongoing for nearly two years.
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The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. From our point of view we want it in place for the new financial year, but obviously contracts 630 have two parties to it, and it will depend upon capacity at Clatterbridge.
The Speaker: Final supplementary, Ms Edge.
Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 635 I thank the Minister for his commitments, but we do need to reassure the Manx public that we do still have continued excellent services from Clatterbridge. So can the Minister confirm how he is ensuring that Manx patients have got the best access to fast service for cancer, please?
The Speaker: Minister to reply. 640 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think considering the amount of pressure that has been on the oncology service this year, particularly around the COVID-19 period when a lot of screening and a lot of cancer treatments had to be postponed – because it became very quickly apparent, via the issues in Italy, that those 645 with cancer had five times the mortality if they caught COVID-19 than an ordinary person without cancer – I think the oncology teams, both here and in Clatterbridge, have worked exceptionally hard. They have been able to provide advice and support that would not necessarily normally be provided on Island over here. It has meant that we have had extended waiting times, but both 650 teams are working exceptionally hard to ensure that the standard of treatment remains as excellent as it has always been.
EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE
1.7. New school at Castle Rushen – Progress
The Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew (Mr Moorhouse) to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture:
If he will make a statement on progress with the new school at Castle Rushen?
The Speaker: Question 7, and I call on the Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, Mr Moorhouse.
655 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture if he will make a statement on progress with the new school at Castle Rushen?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture to reply. 660 The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture (Dr Allinson): Thank you, Mr Speaker. In spite of the challenging weather, work is progressing well on the new playing field project, which started on site in June this year.
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The bulk cut and fill works in creating the two pitch terraces has progressed. In addition to this 665 the three ground source arrays have been installed to the upper terrace, and the drain to the Dumb River has already been laid. Work will shortly be suspended for a winter break as planned, prior to recommencing in the new year, with the completion of the lower terrace and installation of the final array, and work progressing on the specialist formation of the pitches, including pitch drainage, prior to seeding. 670 Other works to be undertaken in 2021 include fencing works around the boundary, and the provision of new cricket nets and wicket. Following the establishment of the pitches, we will be on track for them to be playable by September 2022, as planned. This is the vital first stage in building a new high school which will occupy the site of the existing 675 playing fields. Following a further review of the scope and capacity necessary to future-proof secondary education, and community provision for the south of the Island, it is my intention to agree the brief next year and have an agreed budget provision included in the 2022-23 Pink Book. I am committed to a full consultation with the local Commissioners and community to ensure 680 that this new school meets the aspirations of our students and the expectations of future generations. Thank you.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse. 685 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you, Minister. When will the Department be submitting plans for the new school and when do you expect construction work to begin on the building?
690 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. As I said in my original Answer, we are working to review the scope and capacity of the school with Treasury. I hope to get the budget agreed in the 2022-23 Pink Book, and then move on from 695 there. We will be working on the brief and appointing a design team, and we hope that the initial construction will begin in 2024. Thank you.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse. 700 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you, Minister. Will the plans reflect the learning from COVID in terms of the requirement for space? And also the expectation that an additional 500 homes will be occupied within the catchment area before the new school opens? 705 Thank you.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. 710 We are looking at various different aspects since this original scheme was devised. Obviously the viral pandemic has affected the way people move around schools, and to future-proof it we will again be looking at the design and architectural aspects of the school. The Hon. Member also makes a point about the amount of building that is being done in the south at the moment in terms of residential development. Whilst the school catchment area is
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715 fairly stable, we need to take that into account in terms of the overall capacity of the school to make sure that it is future-proofed. Thank you.
The Speaker: Supplementary, Mr Thomas. 720 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister, and the Department more generally, have a priority list for capital expenditure on schools, and if so where does this project appear on that priority list?
725 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We do not have a priority list as such. Obviously when schools need urgent repairs that is prioritised. We have a capital programme which is agreed with Treasury and certainly the 730 development of a new secondary school to deal with the south of the Island is one of those priorities, as is the science block at QE2 in Peel. Thank you.
The Speaker: Final Supplementary, Mr Moorhouse. 735 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Is the development being progressed as a new school or as a new school with a community and sports hub for the south of the Island?
740 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I think the development of any Government facility should also look at the knock-on benefits it can have to the local community. 745 Most of our schools already open for community use, whether that be sports or culture, and certainly a new school at Castle Rushen will continue to do so. We have seen around the Island schools being used in terms of performance space, the live screening initiative and opportunities have been very important for local communities as well, and those will be looked into when we get the design brief for this new build. 750 Thank you.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
1.8. Planning appeals awaiting ministerial determination – Details
The Hon. Member for Ramsey (Mr Hooper) to ask the Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture:
Further to his Answer in the House of Keys on 10th November 2020, when he expects the planning appeals awaiting a determination by the Minister to be resolved; what the standard turnaround time for such appeals is; and whether there are any delays in these cases being resolved?
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The Speaker: Question 8, and I call on the Hon. Member for Ramsey, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, further to his Answer 755 in the House of Keys on 10th November, when he expects the planning appeals awaiting a determination by the Minister to be resolved; what the standard turnaround time is for such appeals; and whether there are any delays in these cases being resolved?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture to reply. 760 The Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture (Mr Boot): Thank you, Mr Speaker. In response to the Hon. Member’s Question on appeals, there are currently 13 appeals awaiting determination, of which five were received in the last six weeks. It is expected that eight of these will be determined in the next two weeks. 765 In terms of the standard turnaround time for appeals, there is a Programme for Government key performance indicator that 95% of appeals are turned around within six weeks of receiving the inspector’s report. For the first two quarters of this year 100% of decisions were issued in this timescale. For quarters three and four, 24% of appeals were issued within the six-week timeframe, 31% were issued out of the six-week timeframe and 45% are awaiting determination, of which 770 38.5% were received within the last six weeks and 61.5% were received more than six weeks ago. There have been some delays in appeals being finally determined. This is partially due to administrative issues, which have now been resolved, but it does need to be recognised that some cases are more complex and it takes longer to consider these and in some instances it is appropriate for legal advice to be sought. 775 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Minister in his Answer there said five of the 13 that are currently on his desk were received 780 in the last six weeks; that means seven of the ones that he has received were not, they were received outside six weeks. Does he feel it appropriate that actually some of these planning applications – which could have significant impact on development in our towns and villages around the Island – are sat awaiting his decision for, in some cases, six, seven, eight or nine weeks, before anyone gets to hear back? 785 Does he also think it is acceptable that none of these timescales are published or available anywhere? So when someone knows that the inspector’s report is finished and has been handed over to the Department, there is no real way of knowing how long it is going to take the Minister to decide on a particular application.
790 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. First of all, I should say that in terms of my dealing with the appeal, or my delegated Member, we normally turn these around within 48 hours, but there are some complex appeals that are not 795 quite as simple as they appear and if we are looking at a significant impact that significant impact can be on the applicant or people who are against the application. So it is very important that we seek additional planning advice and legal advice before we issue decisions. There have been administrative delays and training, I believe, has now sorted some of those problems out. I apologise where applications or appeals take longer to determine than people 800 anticipate but there are good rationales behind that. We also had the additional problems that COVID caused in the last two quarters. We are now in a situation again where the UK inspectors, although they are key workers, will not come to the
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Island to carry out site inspections. And we did have a slight hiatus earlier on when we were dealing with putting together the capacity to carry out virtual appeal hearings. Fortunately that 805 has now been solved but we have this problem going forward that the inspectors will not come to the Island at present, maybe after 2nd December that will resolve itself. We are working on a methodology where we can take videos of sites and pass them but obviously the inspector has to be content that that is supplying sufficient information for them to make a valid decision. 810 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister not agree that the 100% success rate for turnaround times might be slightly 815 misleading, given the COVID arrangements and the special legal arrangements that were in place for appeals during that time period? Secondly, does the Minister agree, in the special situation with this backlog, might it not be helpful for the appeal inspectors’ reports to be published early, before the Minister has made up his mind? 820 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I do not think the earlier quarters were misleading. We were doing well in turning appeals 825 around and COVID did pose significant challenges to the Department. When it comes to publishing the decisions of the inspector prior to me or my delegated Member making a decision, I think that would be inappropriate. The full report is published when the decision is made and I think it is appropriate the decision be made before the full report is made public. 830 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. It is somewhat concerning to hear that despite the fact the Isle of Man’s borders have been 835 closed since March, the Department is still working on a virtual solution for planning inspectors. The COVID argument the Minister made is somewhat misleading because the question I am asking is in respect of inspectors’ reports that have been completed and handed to his Department, in some cases as far back as 2nd September, and we are still waiting on these decisions to be made and decisions to be turned around. 840 I find it very difficult to accept that because you need additional planning advice or additional legal advice that this process takes, in these cases, more than eight weeks. So I would be grateful if the Minister could confirm that actually in respect of all those planning applications that are currently sat on his desk inside his Department that he will make sure they are all turned around as quickly as they can be. 845 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Starting with the last question first, yes, it is my intention to move appeals through the Department as quickly as possible. 850 Going back to virtual site visits, we can carry out those virtual site visits but we want to be sure that both people on the appeals side, the applicants of the appeal, and the planning people who are subject to the appeal, are satisfied that we are supplying sufficient information and that the inspectors are content with the virtual site inspection.
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By far the best solution was, and has been until now, that planning inspectors are key workers 855 and they come over and carry out their own site inspections. It is our intention – providing matters resolve themselves on 2nd December – to continue with that process and the dialogue with the inspectors to see whether we can come up with a virtual solution that is satisfactory for all parties.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas. 860 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given this troublesome situation with appeals and the ability to turn them around and the delay to that, has the Minister and the Department more generally recently and Government even decided to make applications directly from Government Departments for planning, for instance, 865 with South Barrule tourism accommodation, to avoid all of this troublesome appeals business?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: I am not sure that that is part of the original Question, but in terms of the process 870 for Department applications there is a set process for that which does include an inspector process and we are not trying to circumvent anything to make expedient applications, we are just working with the system.
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
1.9. Go Gold bus passes – Eligibility criteria
The Hon. Member for Ramsey (Mr Hooper) to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care:
What plans he has to review the eligibility criteria for Go Gold bus passes; what changes would be needed to implement different eligibility criteria; and whether he has undertaken an equality impact assessment of the current policy?
The Speaker: Question 9, and I call on the Hon. Member for Ramsey, Mr Hooper.
875 Mr Hooper: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care what plans he has to review the eligibility criteria for Go Gold bus passes; what changes would be needed to implement different eligibility criteria; and whether he has undertaken an equality impact assessment of the current policy? 880 The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Health and Social Care to reply.
The Minister for Health and Social Care (Mr Ashford): Thank you, Mr Speaker. This is something that crosses over several Departments so an interdepartmental group was 885 established, prior to the COVID emergency period, to review the current policy and to develop new regulations for concessionary bus fares, which includes Gold bus passes. The work of this group has been delayed but will be re-initiated as it is seen as an urgent requirement; the Department of Health and Social Care will be supporting this work. An equality impact assessment was not carried out on the current policy as it was recognised 890 that the current concessionary bus fare scheme requires legislative amendment for equality
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compliance. The development work for the new regulations will be subject to an equality impact assessment. Enabling powers for new regulations are contained in primary legislation that lie with the Department of Infrastructure. 895 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. That is quite an interesting Answer. I have been engaged with the Department of Infrastructure 900 for some time on this particular issue. The response originally I had from the Minister was legislative change was required. Unfortunately, after delving into this a little bit, it turns out that is not strictly the case, and in fact legislative change is not required, so it is very interesting to hear from the Minister for Health that he believes it is. The reason I am asking the Minister for Health this Question is because according to the 905 Department of Infrastructure it is his Department that authorises the Go Gold cards, which implies the policy decision sits internally within his Department. So can he advise then on what basis he has been advised that legislative change is required in order to make commercial, non-statutory concessions? Could he also advise why it is that a policy that sits within his Department actually is now being 910 reviewed by a cross-departmental working group instead of actually just being done internally by a decision that he himself could make as a Minister?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
915 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The advice that I have had is that the enabling powers for concessionary bus fare schemes are actually quoted in the Department of Infrastructure primary legislation and the Department of Infrastructure may make concessionary travel schemes for the provision of travel concessions to eligible persons travelling on eligible services. This is under the Concessionary Travel Schemes Act 920 2016, but it requires secondary legislation progressing as a result. My understanding is that the Department does actually approve the applications, the Hon. Member for Ramsey is quite correct on that, and that is why it needs to be cross-departmental. Can I thank the Hon. Member for bringing this Question to the House because, I will be quite frank, it is not something that has really crossed my desk as such before, but it is something that 925 I want to see move forward because there clearly is an equality impact here that has not been addressed.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
930 Mr Thomas: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister agree, as the Minister who took forward the Disability Discrimination Act and then subsequently was instrumental in the Equality Act, that it would be helpful and probably useful and necessary for his Department to ensure themselves and assure themselves about the equality screening and equality impact assessment that the Department of Infrastructure has 935 done in respect of this matter?
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Most definitely, Mr Speaker, happy to agree with the Hon. Member for Douglas 940 Central.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
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Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for committing to reviewing this policy; that is more progress 945 than I have made with Infrastructure in a matter of months. The specific question that I have for the Minister is in terms of the difference between Go Silver and Go Gold bus passes in that the Go Gold pass, which is the disability concession, allows for the individual’s carer to travel with them for free, which the Silver pass does not. It seems rather arbitrary to say actually when you reach a certain age, irrespective of your condition and whether 950 you need continuous care or not, that you are no longer eligible for a Go Silver pass beyond the age of 65. So as part of his review of the policy, will the Minister commit to having a look at whether or not it would make sense to extend the disability concession for carers to travel alongside their individuals in terms of those in receipt of attendance allowance as well as a disability living allowance? 955 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Like I say, the concessionary schemes rest with DoI as well, so it is important we do this 960 cross-governmental, but certainly I find very little to argue with in what the Hon. Member has just said. Obviously the Go Gold at the moment, as soon as you hit an arbitrary age, as the Hon. Member has said, it switches to the Go Silver, so I am happy to give the pledge that that should all be looked at as part of this. 965 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given the oversight about the Equality Act and mobility devices, which happened three times 970 in three successive pieces of legislation, does the Minister think it would be a good idea to check the Concessionary Travel Schemes Act 2016, which he has just announced, to make sure it is enforced and that it has actually been introduced into the legislation. It was taken through just before the last general election and would the Minister come back to this Court to make sure that that is actually in the statute book? 975 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am happy to take away that and check it.
1.10. Medicinal cannabis – Prescription details
The Hon. Member for Ramsey (Mr Hooper) to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care:
When people will be able to be routinely prescribed medicinal cannabis and related medicinal products on the Island?
980 The Speaker: We turn to Question 10, and I call on the Hon. Member for Ramsey, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
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I would like to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care when people will be able to be routinely prescribed medicinal cannabis and related medicinal products on the Island? 985 The Speaker: Again, I call on the Minister for Health and Social Care to reply.
The Minister for Health and Social Care (Mr Ashford): Thank you, Mr Speaker. At present there is no policy in place to allow for the funding of medicinal cannabis products 990 on Island, and the routine funding of cannabis-based medicinal products will be dependent on both the availability of better clinical and cost-effectiveness data, and also crucially the funding review for the DHSC, which is currently underway. It will also, of course, require prescribing clinicians, who under existing legislation are on the General Medical Council specialist register, and have the appropriate skills and competencies to 995 undertake these functions. An internal consultation is being undertaken to assess this position and to work with clinicians around the appetite for wider prescribing.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
1000 Mr Hooper: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I would like to thank the Minister for that Answer. The Department originally consulted on this back in March 2019, and at the time the consultation response was essentially exactly what the Minister has just told me. So it feels like a year and a half on we have not made any progress at all in terms of looking at the legislation and rolling out training to GPs to enable those GPs who do want to prescribe medicinal cannabis 1005 products on the Island to be able to do so. I wonder if the Minister could provide us with an update on exactly how much progress has been made and when we are expecting to see some kind of output or outcome from all the work that is going on.
1010 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We did go out to GPs with a survey in the Department, not long after the consultation, to view the appetite for prescribing at a primary care level. While there were some GPs that were 1015 exceptionally enthusiastic about the idea, the majority of the responses were not. Can I say, Mr Speaker, I am going to put on record again that my personal view is I do want to see prescribing at a primary care level. I think at the moment it is far too restrictive with it being someone on the General Medical Council Register, that is my personal view, and I am frustrated at how slow progress has been. 1020 But we are looking to see what we can do in terms of GP training and to see if we can carry clinicians with us, because that is the crucial thing, Mr Speaker. We have got to take the clinicians with us because otherwise we end up in the situation that has been seen in other countries in the world, where they have allowed prescribing of medicinal cannabis but they have got no one willing to prescribe it. 1025 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Just one final question for the Minister, he has talked extensively about the need to consult 1030 with GPs and make sure they want to prescribe, absolutely the right thing to do, but he also mentioned in his original Answer the need to make legislative change as well in order to make sure the right regulations were in place to enable this to happen. Can he advise on where he is at with that piece of work?
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1035 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We have to work collaboratively, my understanding is it can be done by regulation so it is an amendment. At the moment we mirror the UK regulations, which obviously say the specialist 1040 register from the GMC. My understanding is we can make the change relatively quickly once we have got agreement. But I would want to get the clinicians on board first, Mr Speaker. I would not want to look to be trying to legislate to force clinicians into things.
INFRASTRUCTURE
1.11. Queen Street, Castletown – Residents’ parking
The Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew (Mr Moorhouse) to ask the Minister for Infrastructure:
If he will make a statement on the recent consultation into residents’ parking on Queen Street in Castletown?
The Speaker: Question 11, Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, Mr Moorhouse.
1045 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister for Infrastructure if he will make a statement on the recent consultation into residents’ parking on Queen Street in Castletown?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Infrastructure to reply. 1050 The Minister for Infrastructure (Mr Baker): Thank you, Mr Speaker. In April 2019, the Department was approached by Castletown Commissioners to investigate introducing one-hour disc parking on Queen Street with the possibility of residents’ parking permits. The Department has also been asked to consider a residents’ parking area. 1055 Informal feedback was sought to establish whether the concept was likely to have local support. Residents generally supported the idea but more information on how the system would work was required. Statutory consultation was carried out through advertising the proposed traffic regulation order on 16th October 2020. The consultation period ended on 30th October 2020. The results of 1060 the statutory consultation concluded that the proposals did not have the support of the residents, and therefore the traffic regulation order was not made.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse.
1065 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you, Minister. How many people responded to the consultation, how many residents of Queen Street and how many from elsewhere? Thank you.
1070 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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I can confirm that eight responses in total were received, all of whom were objecting to either all or part of the proposals. All but two of those responses were from residents of Queen Street. 1075 One was from another Castletown resident and I am unaware of the location or address of the eighth respondent.
The Speaker: Hon. Members, that concludes the time available for Questions this morning.
Standing Order 3.5.1(2) suspended to take remaining Oral Questions
The Speaker: Mr Thomas. 1080 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I beg to move that Standing Order 3.5.1(2) be suspended to enable the remaining Questions for Oral Answer to be taken at this sitting.
1085 The Speaker: Mr Callister.
Mr Callister: I am happy to second, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: We have three Questions remaining for Oral Answer, Hon. Members. We will put 1090 it to the vote to continue Questions to the end of the Order Paper.
Electronic voting resulted as follows:
FOR AGAINST Mr Ashford None Mr Moorhouse Dr Allinson Mr Baker Mrs Barber Mr Boot Mrs Caine Mr Callister Mr Cannan Mrs Christian Mrs Corlett Mr Cregeen Ms Edge Mr Harmer Mr Hooper Mr Peake Mr Perkins Mr Quayle Mr Quine Mr Robertshaw Mr Shimmins Mr Speaker Mr Thomas
The Speaker: With 23 for and none against, the motion therefore carries.
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1.12. Smarter movement strategy – Details
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mrs Corlett) to ask the Minister for Infrastructure:
When he will be bringing forward the smarter movement strategy?
The Speaker: We turn then to Question 12, Hon. Member for Douglas Central, Mrs Corlett.
1095 Mrs Corlett: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister for Infrastructure when he will be bringing forward the smarter movement strategy?
The Speaker: Again, I call on the Minister for Infrastructure to reply.
1100 The Minister for Infrastructure (Mr Baker): Thank you, Mr Speaker. As advised in my Written Answer in another place to Question 50 in November from the Hon. Member for Ramsey, Mr Hooper, it is the intention of the Department that the Sustainable Smarter Movement Strategy will be laid before Tynwald in the spring of 2021. However, whilst this strategy is important in terms of providing an overall direction of travel, it will not hinder the 1105 Department’s ability to take forward various initiatives prior to that which are aimed at balancing the needs of all users of the Island’s highway network. I am committed to ensuring that our highways are viewed as connectivity corridors, where different modes of movement are encouraged and supported. Work has commenced looking at various initiatives focused around schools, initially within the Douglas area, but this will in time 1110 encompass other towns. This work will also support the initiatives looking at lowering traffic speeds in residential areas in line with the recent decision of Tynwald Court. The Hon. Member will know that the Department will be returning to Tynwald Court next year with an update on the 20-mph policy. The aim is very much that these steps will help us make best use of the highway network, reduce 1115 reliance on the private car and improve our environment.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mrs Corlett.
Mrs Corlett: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 1120 Could I just ask the Minister, if perhaps an aim of the Sustainable Smarter Movement Strategy is to reduce the impact that transport has on the environment, would the Minister agree that providing an efficient, accessible public transport system that encourages people to use it is absolutely key (A Member: Hear, hear.) to improving air quality, reduction in carbon emissions and improving road safety? 1125 Would the Minister agree that a strategy for smarter movement should not be about forcing people to do anything, but it should aim to provide a balanced offer and a real choice about how we move around our Island? Would the Minister also agree that in order to encourage people to use public transport, bus routes and timetables must provide connectivity and services that take people to places they want 1130 to go, when they want to go there, making bus travel an easy option, because it is not the only option?
Mr Thomas: Hear, hear.
1135 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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I would absolutely agree with everything the Hon. Member has said there. I do see our public transport system as integral to the challenges that we have around how we move around our 1140 Island and clearly, it links to the climate change and net zero that we are committed to tackling. Equally, the Hon. Member is absolutely right, we cannot force people to use particular forms of transport. We need a balanced approach which makes these things available and accessible to people. There are some journeys that do need a car, and we should not be prohibiting those sorts of journeys. 1145 We need to encourage people to make the right choices, and we need to have the best services that we can have. It is about connectivity. The Hon. Member used that word and that is really essential so that people can make their journeys in a convenient and safe manner which is accessible and encourages them to choose a public transport option, if that is their choice.
1150 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I absolutely welcome the Minister’s commitment to review the situation around schools in Douglas. 1155 Would the Minister advise whether the smarter movement strategy is a new name for the transport strategy that has been looked for for 20 years? Secondly, would the Minister advise the scope of the smarter movement strategy? Does it go so far as to include ply for hire, private hire, the general taxi review that has been considered for a great number of years, firstly; and, secondly, does it include a review of the ConnectVILLAGES, 1160 the minibus scheme, the northern trial that is long overdue in terms of review? Thirdly, does it include things that are important for planning, for the Area Plan for the East – for instance, access to the Hospital and the TT route – or are all those things entirely separate from the smarter movement strategy?
1165 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. There was a lot in Mr Thomas’s question there, but I will try and pick up as much as I can, and if I miss anything, please remind me, Mr Thomas. 1170 So this smarter movement strategy is a holistic approach for now. I am not well versed in the transport strategy from 20 years ago, but I am really keen that we look forward to meeting the needs of the Island, where we are now and where we think we are going. The Sustainable Smarter Movement Strategy is an overarching strategy document, which brings an overall policy focus as to how we move around the Island. It is currently being finalised to take into account both the 1175 climate emergency and the changes in behaviour which were observed as part of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will provide an overall hierarchy for how we travel, recognising that for the majority of us, there will be a need to utilise different modes, depending on what we require and when. Mr Speaker, many of us are users of different forms of transport, so bus users are also at times cyclists, pedestrians, drivers or even horse riders or any other form of transport. We need a holistic 1180 approach to make the right choice at the right time. This overarching strategy links into some more detailed strategies which all speak into that same area – for example, active travel, bus travel and parking. We have made progress in some of those areas over the recent months. Have we made as much progress as I would have liked? No, but we are committed to pushing forward in each of those. 1185 Taxis are clearly part of the transport mix. It is about how we move around the Island, and I am really pleased to advise this Hon. House that since being appointed Minister, I have had two very constructive meetings with the representatives of the taxi community on the Island, and that is a commitment that we have made to continue on a quarterly basis. I am committed to engaging and progressing matters which are related to our taxi services.
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1190 In terms of Mr Thomas’s question around ConnectVILLAGES, that is an area that is under review at the moment. The service has been implemented in the north of the Island. We have got some work to do to confirm how that moves forward, but it is very much part of the bus strategy, which in turn sits within smarter movement. Finally, Mr Speaker, Mr Thomas referred to access to the Hospital and the TT access road. 1195 Those are more about the physical network of the Island, certainly in terms of the TT access improvements which are committed as part of the Area Plan for the East. That is a separate piece of work and work is under way to narrow down the options and come forward with a proposal when we have one that we believe is the right solution for the Island’s needs.
1200 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mrs Corlett.
Mrs Corlett: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Minister has confirmed that connectivity is key, and could I ask, will this strategy support investment into public transport? Will it support reconnecting people that recent changes to 1205 routes have disconnected? Thank you.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
1210 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Hon. Member raises the question of investment and clearly that is a topic that I would need to engage properly with my constituency colleague, Mr Cannan, the Treasury Minister and his Treasury team. So if there is a need for investment, and there may well be, then that is a topic that we will have to discuss and go through the proper procedures. I am confident that if we can 1215 make a business case, that will be given proper consideration by Treasury in accordance with their difficult task of balancing the Island’s finances, which of course we must all recognise have taken an adverse impact through the coronavirus period. In terms of the bus service itself, there are two elements to the bus service, both of which need to be recognised. One is the commercially viable element and a number of routes on the Island 1220 are commercially viable and make a positive financial return. Equally there is a social element to the bus service, which is really important and it is why it is right that Government is involved in the provision of public transport on the Island. From a commercial point of view, many of the routes on the Island would not be commercially sustainable and would only operate as a result of a wider policy which reflects social inclusion and related matters. That, Hon. Members, is a really 1225 important point where we need to make sure we have the right balance. We cannot allow the bus service just purely to be dictated to by what is commercially viable, otherwise we would be left with a very shrunken service on this Island. There have been changes to the bus network made in recent years, and I am aware that there have been services cut in certain areas, and that has an impact on individual people and 1230 communities. I regret that. Equally, there has to be some sort of criteria around those considerations, because we do not have a bottomless pit of money. We have to make sure that public funding is used in the appropriate manner, but the best way of securing a viable public transport service is to make sure people are using it on a regular basis and making it a positive choice, Mr Speaker. 1235 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Quine.
Mr Quine: Thank you, Mr Speaker. In support of the previous question from the Hon. Member for Douglas Central, Mrs Corlett, 1240 and given the Minister’s comments regarding balancing the needs of the budget against the social needs of commercial considerations, would the Minister agree with me that, in order to establish
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a coherent and joined-up smarter movement strategy, the Department need to review their perceived practice of observing the cost of everything and the value of nothing?
1245 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. To some extent, I would wholeheartedly agree with what the Hon. Member for Douglas South, Capt. Quine, has said. It is about value, not cost. 1250 However, I do not believe that that is the approach that the Department has taken. I think the Department has had to make some very difficult choices over recent times, both in my time as Minister and in Minister Harmer’s time as Minister. That is the reality of trying to balance the conflicting pressures on the public service. We cannot do it in a vacuum. We cannot do it without financial constraints. We have to anchor our decisions in some sort of objective test. 1255 To reassure the Hon. Member, the way we look at route performance is actually not around the revenue it generates; it is around the passenger usage of the service. You may say, well, surely those two things are very much different sides of the same coin, but actually they are not because the bus service on the Island has a huge amount of free or discounted travel as a result of some of the social policies that are delivered through the bus service. There are concessionary 1260 arrangements around schoolchildren and the elderly; arrangements around some of the subjects that we have covered this morning, Mr Speaker, around those with disabilities and other issues. Actually each journey that a passenger makes is treated as being of equal value. So I really do not believe we are reducing it purely to cost. We do understand the value. I personally am a huge supporter of our public transport service, and actually it is one of the areas 1265 that we benchmark really well against other jurisdictions. We have seen in the UK, where they have gone down the privatisation route, where the buses are a lot older, the services are less frequent, and communities are cut off and forced to rely on either motor vehicles, if they can afford them, or taxis. I do not want this to go down that route on this Island, but we have to get that balance. We have not got a right to additional funding. We need to make sure that we are 1270 justifying any requests that the service needs and we are running the service optimally, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
1275 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for the very rich initial Answer and providing lots of food for thought and source of questions in coming weeks. Secondly, I commend the Department, the Minister and Mrs Christian for meeting so warmly with the taxi drivers and to be in that discussion. Two questions: firstly, the smarter movement strategy that we can expect in April, which is 1280 hierarchical and principles, will that look something like the housing strategy 2020 and the housing strategy 2013 – some high-level principles? Secondly, does the Minister agree that it is important not to focus too much on buses, because Bus Vannin is inside the Department, or parking, because car parks are inside the Department, and forget about the people out there who can compete with buses and other provision of car 1285 parks? Finally, does the Minister agree with me that it would be very important for the Office of Fair Trading to conclude their investigation of anti-competitive aspects of this provision in coming weeks to inform the creation of a smarter movement strategy, aka transport strategy?
1290 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
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The Sustainable Smarter Movement Strategy, I think is likely to be an overarching document, which will set out principles and will be underpinned by more detail around specific areas, 1295 whether it be car parking, buses, active travel, etc. Frankly, whether it looks like the housing strategy from either of the years Mr Thomas has mentioned, I do not know; that is for others to judge, but it will be a key document bringing that holistic approach that, until now, has been missing. The important thing is that we are looking at this thing in the round. It is about how people 1300 move around and all the different alternatives and choices that they have, so that people can make the right choices for themselves and for the Island. In terms of Mr Thomas’s reference to others competing, yes, we need to be cognisant of the impacts of the decisions that are made. Clearly, whatever Government does in this regard has an impact on the market. 1305 I think, finally, Mr Speaker, any views on the way that the Office of Fair Trading should move forward is very much a matter for the Office of Fair Trading. It is not for me to really comment or direct on that.
The Speaker: The final supplementary is in the hands of the original questioner, Mrs Corlett. 1310 Mrs Corlett: Thank you, Mr Speaker. If I could ask the Minister whether we should be finding ways to encourage bus routes, rather than cutting bus routes. The less of the service provided, the fewer people will use the service. Would he agree that we have to avoid false economy, especially social value? This is partly 1315 about social return on investment.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 1320 Again, I find myself thoroughly agreeing with the remarks of the Hon. Member for Douglas Central. We have to have vision in what we are doing here. There is a danger that if everything is fine where we are, you make cuts and you get into a downward spiral. We know that the bus service is integral to both how we move around the Island, social inclusion and the climate change agenda, and we need to very much bear all those things in mind 1325 as we move forward. Thank you.
The Speaker: I am conscious that that Question had six supplementaries to it, but it still took 18 minutes, so I would ask Ministers to make sure that brevity is the watchword of the day.
1.13. Bus Vannin – Passes for the disabled
The Hon. Member for Onchan (Ms Edge) to ask the Minister for Infrastructure:
What type of bus pass (a) a disabled person; and (b) their carer is entitled to?
1330 The Speaker: Question 13, I call on the Hon. Member for Onchan, Ms Edge.
Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister for Infrastructure what type of bus pass a disabled person and their carer is entitled to?
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1335 The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Infrastructure to reply.
The Minister for Infrastructure (Mr Baker): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will try to be brief. Not all those with disabilities are entitled to a bus pass, but those that are may qualify for either a Go Gold card or a Go Gold Plus card. These cards are issued to help give 1340 those with certain disabilities the same chance to access opportunities and services as able-bodied people. Free bus travel is available to all those over retirement age, so those with disabilities and above retirement age are treated the same way as those without disabilities. Carers are not entitled to any bus passes. However, gold cards can be endorsed for the traveller 1345 to be accompanied by one or two carers, depending on the assessed needs of the cardholder.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Ms Edge.
Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am hoping the Minister is going to carry on with his tone of 1350 agreeing with Members this morning! What I want to ask the Minister is – he has commented with regard to buses being an integral part of our community; climate change; connectivity is key; social inclusion – is the Minister aware …? I hope he will agree that he will do a review of some of the silver bus passes that are out there of people who have not reached retirement age, to change over onto gold? Will he do 1355 an urgent review to ensure that anybody with a disability pass prior to the change in policy and movement to the silver bus passes will be entitled to receive a gold pass for them and obviously have it endorsed with the carer?
The Speaker: Minister to reply. 1360 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will start, actually, by agreeing with the Hon. Member for Onchan: this does need review. The issue, as the Hon. Member has pointed out, is that things change when the card holder reaches pensionable age, so that can lead to unintended consequences around the provision for carers, if 1365 they go from a Go Gold card to a Go Silver card, as the silver concession card does not offer free travel for the carers, whereas the gold card does. So it is my intention to go to consultation around this whole area. It does need looking at. It is anchored in some very old legislation which dates back to the 1951 Act, which does need updating. We need to engage on a wider basis, because this is not just about a Department for Infrastructure 1370 issue, as my hon. friend, Mr Ashford just talked about – the DHSC are key to this as well. So working with DHSC we will be shortly launching a consultation with the public and with stakeholder representatives on how concessionary travel should be provided and what entitlements should be granted, and then we will look together to progress the necessary changes through a long scheme. 1375 I would in closing, Mr Speaker, say that this is overdue. I very much hope we can start to consult early in the next calendar year.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Hooper.
1380 Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I do not know where to start with that answer. ‘People beyond retirement age with disabilities are treated the same way as those without’ – that is not the case. ‘People’s entitlement moves from silver to gold the moment they hit retirement age’ – that is also not the case. It is perfectly possible to have a gold bus pass, and that continues beyond retirement age, provided you were 1385 disabled before you reached retirement age. If you became disabled the day after you reached
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retirement age, you are treated totally differently, actually. The system is not as equitable as the Minister has just described. I would also like the Minister to back up his comment that these concessions are rooted in legislation from 1951. The schemes, in fact, underneath that legislation provide only that the 1390 concessionary fares can be issued at half rate – not free, not within certain times – so actually most of the concessions the Department operates are commercial, non-statutory concessions. So I am not really sure where to begin on the Minister’s Answer, but I suggest he goes back to his team in the Department and actually comes back and gives this House accurate information in response to the questions that are being asked. 1395 Mr Thomas: Hear, hear.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
1400 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would actually, just in responding to the Hon. Member’s comments, be really clear that you do not move from a silver to a gold, as the Hon. Member I think erroneously said –
Mr Hooper: The other way round. 1405 The Minister: – but I take that in the spirit in which I think he meant it. Part of the kind of confusion that Mr Hooper is reacting in such a way to is the fact that, as I said in my original Answer, Mr Speaker, there are two forms of cards: there is a Go Gold Plus card; and a Go Gold card. There are, Mr Speaker, around 1,000 Go Gold cards in issue and 110 Go Gold 1410 Plus cards. Starting with the Go Gold Plus card, they are concessionary passes which are issued to residents with visual impairment. That scheme is administered by the Manx Blind Welfare Society on behalf of the Department and where Mr Hooper’s confusion has come from is that the Go Gold Plus customers do keep their cards when they reach pensionable age and are not transferred to a 1415 silver concession card. However, Mr Hooper is completely wrong regarding the core Go Gold card. When a Go Gold customer reaches pensionable age, the Go Gold card does expire and the user is eligible for a Go Silver concession card. The silver concession card does not offer free travel for one or two carers, which the gold concession does, if required. 1420 That is the reason that we need to go and sort this out. That is the reason why we need to consult, and that is the clarity, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
1425 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister agree that this House and the place upstairs might have wasted their time with the Concessionary Schemes Act 2016, given the legal basis for these schemes, apparently, firstly? And secondly, the Minister has mentioned that it is very clear on the Isle of Man Bus and Rail 1430 website that the DHSC is actually responsible for this sort of policy and the issuance, it seems, and Manx Blind Welfare does some of the disabled groups? Does the Minister agree it would be a good idea to step back and actually consult with the other Departments that are directly involved, so we come up with some sort of a defensible position in respect to concessionary travel, not just a knee-jerk reaction back in 2016 to get Mr Cowin off our backs? 1435 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
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The Minister: Well, I would always agree that a knee-jerk reaction is not a good idea. Frankly, what happened in 2016 is pretty irrelevant for me right now. 1440 I would reiterate in response to Mr Thomas’s comments that I did actually say – and I think Minister Ashford said earlier – that there is collaborative working going on here. The DHSC is responsible for issuing these cards and for the gatekeeping around it. There are conversations going on between the two Departments. We are going to be consulting with the public and stakeholder representatives, and we are already working together, Mr Speaker. 1445 Mr Thomas: Thank you.
The Speaker: Final supplementary question, Ms Edge.
1450 Ms Edge: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his commitment because it does seem that we are discriminating on access to buses and also on age. Could the Minister confirm when he expects to make the changes following the consultation? I know he said he will go out in January, but I think we need a stronger commitment for people 1455 who previously had disabled access to our buses completely, without any restrictions, back in 2012, and whether the Minister could just look at perhaps changing that for the people who are on a silver bus pass – I am sure there will not be as many as he possibly thinks – to make sure they have got full access, so they can access hospital services before nine o’clock in the morning, etc. (Mr Thomas: Hear, hear.) 1460 Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 1465 Taking the first part of the Hon. Member’s question first, I would wish to bring forward changes as soon as we can, following the consultation. So this is not going to consultation to kick this down the road. This is a consultation to find out what we need to do and then get on with doing it. I will certainly reflect on the very valid points that the Hon. Member for Onchan has made. However, I am going to take the advice that Mr Thomas gave me earlier about not knee-jerking, 1470 so I am not going to make a commitment as to what we should do with silver or gold cards. I think that should come out of the consultation, Mr Speaker, but clearly we do need to do far better collectively than we are currently doing, and that is the commitment that, together with Minister Ashford and his very capable team, we will be looking to push forward and get a clear, concise and supportable policy around all this.
POLICY AND REFORM
1.14. Next IoM census – Date and process
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mr Thomas) to ask the Minister for Policy and Reform:
When the next census will take place; and if he will make a statement about the process?
1475 The Speaker: We turn to Question 14, and I call on the Hon. Member for Douglas Central, Mr Thomas.
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Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I beg leave to ask the Minister for Policy and Reform when the next census will take place; and 1480 if he will make a statement about the process?
The Speaker: I call on the Minister for Policy and Reform to reply.
The Minister for Policy and Reform (Mr Harmer): Thank you, Mr Speaker. 1485 The date of the census will be Sunday, 25th April 2021. As recommended in the 2016 Isle of Man Census Project Review, the 2021 census is planned to be digital by default. That is to say that an online form will be the default means for making a return, with alternative methods being available on request. Alternatives to the online form include a telephone interview, a visit by a census officer, or a 1490 paper form. By making such alternatives available, we hope to compensate for any accessibility issues that an online form may present to some households, while maximising the number of returns made online.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas. 1495 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Another of the recommendations back in that excellent June 2017 document about doing the next census was that the process should begin earlier and that the Post Office should be engaged six months before November 2015, as it was engaged last time; local authorities should be 1500 engaged; and people should be engaged to carry out the work. Does the Minister not worry that we are starting all of this too late for the census on 25th April 2021? A bad census would be worse, surely, than a delayed census.
The Speaker: Minister to reply. 1505 The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. No, I am not worried. The census will go ahead.
The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Callister. 1510 Mr Callister: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his reply this morning. Given the fact that the census in 2021 will be digital, can I ask the Minister why it will take over a year for it actually to be published, and will he consider publishing that data sooner, given the fact that he will have the information a lot quicker this time round? 1515 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is anticipated that the adoption of a digital-by-default model will significantly reduce the 1520 time needed to produce the census results. However, as we are employing an entirely new system and operational model for the 2021 census and, furthermore, we do not know how many households will use the online form, we are not in a position to estimate how long it will take to validate and process all of the data for collation and analysis.
1525 The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
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In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the census has been delayed by a year. It has also in the Republic of Ireland. The UK has a target for the one-year delayed census of 75% online 1530 completion of the census 2022. Does the Isle of Man Treasury have a target for online completion? Secondly, does the Minister worry that ‘digital by default’ could sacrifice social inclusion and that the census might be grossly inaccurate, given the assumption that is already being made, that nearly everybody will be completing this online, rather than using the old-fashioned return by post or canvassing, which do not seem to have been organised as yet? 1535 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you. As the Hon. Member will be aware, the United Kingdom – Wales, Scotland and so forth – are 1540 in a completely different position in terms of the COVID pandemic. Obviously, there was a delay, but they are still in a position where, obviously, having people going door to door is a bigger problem. We do not have that at the moment. Obviously that could change, depending on what happens here. As I said before, alternatives to the online form include a telephone interview, a visit by the 1545 census officer or a paper form, so there are a number of different forms, and as the Vice-Chair of the Post Office … I can confirm that the Post Office will remain a crucial partner in the upcoming census, in the digital by default. Obviously it will have a reduced role, compared with previous censuses, and the Post Office’s role will largely consist of printing and delivering all necessary correspondence and any census forms that may be requested, and notifying the census officers 1550 of instances where it has been impossible to deliver to a particular address and providing reasons for it. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Final supplementary, Mr Thomas. 1555 Mr Thomas: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is important to admit mistakes, when you have made mistakes – perhaps it was even a deliberate mistake on my part – but England and Wales will not actually be delaying the census. England and Wales are going ahead with the census in 2021. It is only actually Scotland and Ireland 1560 that are delaying it, although the UK is still considering a delay. The question to the Hon. Minister is: I am not sure that the Post Office is actually aware of its role in the forthcoming census, and it was definitely the recommendation in the review in 2017, that the Post Office should be engaged 12 months before the census took place. My first question is when will the Post Office be engaged? 1565 The second point is that the Post Office’s role was to handle returns to include mail opening and scanning to capture data from the census forms and data hosting to provide the questionnaire tracking software, to store the census forms. How will those functions be carried out given that the Post Office has not yet really been engaged in the process?
1570 The Speaker: Minister to reply.
The Minister: Thank you. I am very happy to engage with the Vice-Chair of the Post Office on all of these matters. Thank you. 1575 The Speaker: Hon. Members, that concludes Oral Questions this morning.
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Procedural – Leave of absence granted; extension granted for Written Question 2.5.
The Speaker: I should point out that Mr Skelly is absent with leave in order to attend a funeral this morning. Item 2 is Questions for Written Answer, and I have had a request from the Minister for 1580 Education, Sport and Culture to allow an extra week to collate the information regarding Question 5, which has been granted.
2. Questions for Written Answer
CHIEF MINISTER
2.1. Pan-Government COVID-19 outbreak management plan – Publication
The Hon. Member for Douglas East (Mrs Barber) to ask the Chief Minister:
If he will publish the versions of the pan-Government COVID-19 outbreak management plan, indicating the dates on which each version was the primary version in use?
The Chief Minister (Mr Quayle): The outbreak management plan is a Public Health led framework which contains specific plans or ‘action cards’ relating to the management and response to COVID-19 outbreaks in various settings in the public and private sector. The 1585 development of the plan has been co-ordinated by the Department of Home Affairs’ Emergency Planning Officer with input from across Government and the Director of Public Health. As the plan is a framework, the different documents beneath the plan will change from time to time as evidence changes or new risks are identified. The outbreak management plan was first published online at 1590 https://covid19.gov.im/outbreakplan on 23rd October. The nurseries, playgroups and childminders guidance was added on 29th October. The care home action card and sheltered housing and supported living v3 was uploaded on 9th November and has a review date of March 2021. All the other cards are the original version.
POLICY AND REFORM
2.2. 2016 Isle of Man Census Project Review – Recommendations for 2021 census
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mr Thomas) to ask the Minister for Policy and Reform:
How he has taken forward the improvements and recommendations for the 2021 census which were specified in the 2016 Isle of Man Census Project Review and Recommendations for Future Censuses document dated June 2017?
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1595 The Minister for Policy and Reform (Mr Harmer): In accordance with the improvements and recommendations laid out in the 2016 Isle of Man Census Project Review, the default method of return for the 2021 census will be online. The vast majority of other improvements and recommendations resulting from that review have also been adopted in full, in the sense that: 1600 (a) they have been specified as requirements for the system being developed for the 2021 census by the Government Technology Services; or (b) they are to be implemented at the appropriate time during the preparation for or running of the census. Of the four key recommendations, only the first:
Investigate updating the Census Act 1929 to allow other Government organisations to share information with the Census Office for the sole purpose of ensuring the completeness of the Census
1605 has not been fully adopted. However, the Registration of Electors Bill 2020 does go some way toward fulfilling this recommendation by easing considerably the sharing of data between the Census Office and the Electoral Register. One other recommendation that could not be implemented is that the planning process for the 2021 census should have been extended by at least six months. While this process began well 1610 in advance of the recommended additional six months, the disruption caused by COVID-19 at a critical point has significantly reduced the amount of time available for planning.
ENTERPRISE
2.3. Tourist accommodation – Regulations for extended occupation
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mr Thomas) to ask the Minister for Enterprise:
What regulations apply to the occupation of tourist accommodation for a continuous period exceeding one month, including flats; and if he will make a statement about the registration requirements and housing standards for such occupation?
The Minister for Enterprise (Mr Skelly): Tourist accommodation is subject to regulation from a number of perspectives. The Department for Enterprise is responsible for registration of tourist accommodation under the Tourist Act 1975. However, tourist accommodation may also be 1615 subject to housing, planning and building standards. Primarily, premises used as tourist accommodation are subject to the requirements of the Tourist Act 1975. The Act provides that the owner or occupier of any land or property who wishes that land or property to be registered as tourist premises must apply to the Department. It further provides that ‘no person shall use or permit to be used any land as tourist premises unless the 1620 land is registered as tourist premises’, except with the prior approval of DfE. The Tourist (General) Regulations 1991, made under the Act, prescribe the standards that must be met by premises in order to be registered by DfE. There is no requirement either in the Tourist Act 1975 or the regulations as to the length of time that a guest may stay in visitor accommodation. 1625 However, in addition to the requirements of registration with DfE, tourist accommodation may also be subject to regulation for other purposes, including housing, planning and building control, which are the responsibility of other Departments.
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All property and land owners are, though, required by DfE to confirm that relevant legal and safety approvals are in place before the application is accepted and the property or land added to 1630 the tourist accommodation register.
EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE
2.4. Year 13 students – Free school meals and higher education
The Hon. Member for Arbory, Castletown and Malew (Mr Moorhouse) to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture:
How many students (a) there were in Year 13 at each secondary school; and (b) qualified for free school meals; (c) qualified for free school meals and went into higher education; and (d) did not qualify for free school meals and went into higher education; in each of the last five years at the start of September, broken down by sex?
The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture (Dr Allinson): The tables below show the details requested for parts (a) to (c) of the Question:
2019-20
School Number in Year 13 Number of Year 13 on FSM Number of FSM that went on to HE M F M F M F Ballakermeen 68 82 7 6 4 2 St Ninian’s 46 60 9 4 2 3 Ramsey Grammar 41 38 1 5 1 3 QE11 32 37 1 1 0 0 Castle Rushen 31 34 0 5 0 1
2018-19
School Number in Year 13 Number of Year 13 on FSM Number of FSM that went on to HE M F M F M F Ballakermeen 65 75 3 10 2 5 St Ninian’s 33 46 3 6 1 3 Ramsey Grammar 37 38 2 3 0 3 QE11 21 34 2 2 0 0 Castle Rushen 43 28 6 4 2 2
2017-18
School Number in Year 13 Number of Year 13 on FSM Number of FSM that went on to HE M F M F M F Ballakermeen 46 68 3 7 2 3 St Ninian’s 38 64 0 2 0 1 Ramsey Grammar 43 42 5 2 4 1 QE11 33 26 2 1 0 1 Castle Rushen 35 34 3 7 3 2 2016-17
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School Number in Year 13 Number of Year 13 on FSM Number of FSM that went on to HE M F M F M F Ballakermeen 48 79 7 5 6 4 St Ninian’s 46 46 2 4 0 1 Ramsey Grammar 44 57 3 4 0 2 QE11 27 37 1 1 1 1 Castle Rushen 39 43 4 3 2 2
2015-16
School Number in Year 13 Number of Year 13 on FSM Number of FSM that went on to HE M F M F M F Ballakermeen 41 63 6 9 6 5 St Ninian’s 54 56 5 9 1 6 Ramsey Grammar 33 45 3 10 0 5 QE11 23 38 0 3 0 3 Castle Rushen 29 51 2 9 2 4
We do not hold the information requested for part (d) in the format requested. However, the 1635 total number of applications to higher education for each of the last five years are detailed below:
2019-20: 418 2018-19: 461 2017-18: 454 2016-17: 431 2015-16: 339
2.5. IoM schools – Condition surveys
The Hon. Member for Onchan (Ms Edge) to ask the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture:
If he will publish the most recent condition survey of each school, including: the capacity of each school; its planned maintenance schedule; its planned minor capital spend; and its planned capital spend?
The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture (Dr Allinson): School capacities remain as given in our Answer to the Hon. Member, Mrs Barber at August Tynwald, which we have provided again on the summary sheet at Table 2.5A. Column (I) identifies our assessed permanent capacity at each school, and (II) the assessed capacity as supplemented by mobile classroom provision. 1640 I have included details of the minor capital works programme at Table 2.5B. Our current planned capital spend at schools is outlined within the current 2020-21 Pink Book. Appendix 5, pages 103 and 104, details our Department’s schemes for the next five years and Appendix 6, page 115, our future schemes. https://www.gov.im/media/1368490/pink-book-2020-final-website.pdf 1645 The responsibility for condition reports has laid with the Department of Infrastructure since the establishment of Estates Shared Services in 2012 and the most recent survey of each school has been requested.
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I apologise that this information has not been included in the Answer to this Question and it will be circulated as soon as it is available. *
Table 2.5A
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Table 2.5B
Client No. Project Budget Property Name Project title Status DEC 6 Minor Capital Ballaquayle Flat roof repairs Commenced DEC 7 Minor Capital Ballasalla Flat roof repairs Complete DEC 10 Minor Capital Braddan Storm drains repairs/improvements Complete DEC 11A Minor Capital Braddan Replacement sports hall lighting and Commenced ceiling DEC 12 Minor Capital Bride Repairs to roof Procurement DEC 17 Minor Capital Laxey Replace slate roof – Phase 1? Complete DEC 19 Minor Capital Manor Park Flat roof repairs Complete DEC 22 Minor Capital Onchan Replace slate roof Complete DEC 25 Minor Capital PCWs Stair Lift – KS2 side OR Quad infill Complete DEC 27 Minor Capital PCWs Flat roof repairs Complete DEC 28 Minor Capital Willaston Boiler house refurb. Design Stage DEC 31 Minor Capital Phurt Le Moirrey Refurbish toilets Complete DEC 32 Minor Capital Rushen Refurbish toilets – Juniors Complete DEC 34 Minor Capital Rushen Flat roof repairs Complete DEC 35 Minor Capital Scoill yn Jubilee Renew heating pipework under floor Complete (Murrays Rd) to classrooms and fit LST's 8no. DEC 37 Minor Capital St Mary's Capital Class Base Upgrade – Phase 3 Commenced DEC 41 Minor Capital Victoria Road Refurbish Boys and Girls Junior Complete DEC 42 Minor Capital Victoria Road ReplaceToilets old part of slate roof/ RWG Commenced DEC 43 Minor Capital BHS Asbestos removal, duct to post 16-L Commenced Block Corridor DEC 49 Minor Capital BHS Heating pipework around pool area Complete in duct DEC 50 Minor Capital BHS Replacement pool liner/remedial Commenced works DEC 53 Minor Capital BHS Alterations to Learning Support Area Complete DEC 54 Minor Capital BHS Post 16, alterations to existing Complete balcony area DEC 46 Minor Capital BHS Re-cladding sports hall roof Design Stage Consultant design and planning DEC 55 Minor Capital CRHS Structural and emergency works Design Stage DEC 56 Minor Capital CRHS Resurfacing and drainage works to Complete 6th Form car park DEC 57 Minor Capital CRHS Renew skylights in Drama corridor Commenced and new suspended ceiling DEC 59 Minor Capital QE11 Re-cladding, Phase 3 (Front) Commenced DEC 60 Minor Capital QE11 Satellite 3 Phase 1 – GF & FF Complete DEC 64 Minor Capital QE11 Satellite Plantroom 3 Phase 2 Commenced DEC 65 Minor Capital QE11 Satellite Plantroom stairs Complete DEC 69 Minor Capital RGS West Heating upgrade, Phase 2 – GF Commenced Design Consultant design DEC 70 Minor Capital RGS West Boiler house refurb. Complete DEC 71 Minor Capital RGS West Preplacement Proteous Panel Complete DEC 73 Minor Capital RGS West Rear car park resurface Complete DEC 74 Minor Capital SNHS 6th Form Common Room roof Complete insulated and recovered flat roof DEC 81 Minor Capital UCM Bailey Scott – Render repairs and re- Complete decorate block DEC 85.3 Minor Capital Douglas Youth Replace windows to curtain wall to Planning Arts Centre main room
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DEC 86.1 Minor Capital Douglas Youth Replacement internal fire Complete Arts Centre doors/replacement fire grills DEC 88 Minor Capital Santon New oil boiler, 2,500 litre Design Stage replacement oil tank and upgrade controls DEC 89 Minor Capital BHS New roof coverings, insulation and Complete coping works on L Block corridors
Total committed Spend to Date £2,249,031
* The following additional information in answer to Question 2.5 was received on 1st December 2020:
1650 The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture (Dr Allinson): I would like to apologise for the delay in answering this Question in its entirety. School capacities remain as given in our Answer to the Hon. Member, Mrs Barber at August Tynwald, which we have provided again on the attached summary sheet. [See Table 2.5A above.] Column (I) identifies our assessed permanent capacity at each school, and (II) the assessed 1655 capacity as supplemented by mobile classroom provision. Our current planned capital spend at schools is outlined within the current 20200-21 Pink Book. Appendix 5, pages 103 and 104, details our Department’s schemes for the next five years and Appendix 6, page 115, our future schemes. https://www.gov.im/media/1368490/pinkbook-2020- final-website.pdf 1660 I have attached details of the minor capital works programme, for the current financial year. [See Table 2.5B above.] Day-to-day maintenance, planned maintenance and minor capital works on school buildings are carried out by the Department of Infrastructure, who have worked closely with the Department on all aspects of school maintenance since the creation of Shared Services in 2012. 1665 Immediately prior to the establishment of the Shared Services system in 2012, condition reports on a number of schools were commissioned by the then Department of Education and Children and were carried out by Dalrymple Associates Ltd. Some of these reports consist of several hundred pages and I would be happy to meet with the Hon. Member for Onchan to go through any she may have a special interest in. 1670 DOI officers, alongside DESC colleagues continue to monitor schools and are seeking to commission new condition surveys for delivery during 2022. The DOI in conjunction with the DESC reviews its work schedule for schools based on priorities for addressing condition and technical improvement issues. The Department reviews the list of planned works required, along with any additional 1675 requirements, and requests from individual schools annually to determine the scale, scope and delivery of the Education works programme.
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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
2.6. Flats and houses in multiple occupation – Registration
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mr Thomas) to ask the Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture:
How many (a) flats; and (b) houses in multiple occupation have been registered with each registration authority at the end of each calendar year since 2014; and if he will make a statement about the efficiency and effectiveness of the process of (i) setting standards for this type of premises; and (ii) requiring any person intending to use or to permit to be used such premises to apply to register the premises?
The Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture (Mr Boot): Our Environmental Health Team within the Regulation Directorate act as authorised officers for the Island’s local authorities when it comes to registering flats and HMOs as well as for the assessment of fitness of this type 1680 of dwelling under the Housing (Standards) and Housing (Registration) Regulations. Since 2014 there have been over 1,400 requests made to the Environmental Health Team for housing related assistance, predominantly from private rented tenants in houses, HMOs and flats across the Island. These requests for service have generated many assessments of fitness inspections, inspection reports to landlords and revisits to assess repairs. Following necessary 1685 compliance inspections there have been approximately 150 recommendations from the team to local authorities to register new or converted flats across the Island. Each local authority is required under the Housing (Registration) Regulations 2013 to hold a register of both flats and HMOs and this information can be provided, on request, directly from the authority in question. 1690 Due to delays in the introduction of regulations made under the Fire Precautions Act 1975 it was not possible for our officers to recommend local authorities commence the registration of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) until January 2017. Since then, 13 HMOs have been fully registered and many other known operators are making progress towards registration. Minimum standards for flats and HMOs are contained in the Housing (Standards) Regulations 1695 2017.
Flats For flats the registration process is fairly straight forward as the registration of flats has been a requirement on the Island since 1982. The Housing (Standards) Regulations 2017 did, however, introduce additional requirements, including bin and bike storage and adequate thermal 1700 insulation. The production of guidance on the content of the regulations for flats is under review. Government wide initiatives to help improve energy efficiency and the overall condition of the Island’s housing stock are underway as a result of both our climate change action plan and the recent Private Sector Housing Stock Condition Survey 2018-20, the outcome of which will 1705 contribute to future guidance. Our officers are available to provide advice and guidance to applicants, landlords and the local authorities where necessary.
HMOs HMO (and flat) registration requires a multi-agency approach (including Fire and Rescue Service, planning, building control, local authorities). Our Environmental Health Team is routinely 1710 the first and last agency involved in the HMO registration process. Once all agencies involved in the registration process are content that the minimum legal standards are met, the Environmental Health Officer will recommend registration to the clerk to the relevant local authority.
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The Department’s officers have worked together with other agencies to produce clear guidance for landlords, enforcement officers and local authorities on the registration process and 1715 interpretation of standards regulations. This can be found at www.gov.im/HMO. Our officers are also part of a multi-agency group who review the guidance and registration process. We are also currently engaging with landlords of unregistered HMOs through multi-agency workshops. We have held one to date with two more planned for January 2021. Landlords known to be operating HMOs have been invited to attend. 1720 For flats and HMOs there is no requirement for registration details to be updated, for instance upon transfer of ownership, therefore registration details relate to the premises only, not ownership. Where current processes pick up on unregistered flats and HMOs, often at point of sale, on occasions it can be extremely difficult and labour intensive to locate the person responsible for them so that appropriate enforcement action can be carried out, especially if they 1725 live off Island or the premises are owned by a company/ several parties. It is the Department’s view that the Landlord Registration (Private Housing) Bill 2020 will assist by providing up to date details of ownership of HMOs and flats to enable direct communication to improve the overall condition of private rented housing on the Island.
Supporting Information
Flat registration requests 2014 to 2020
Year Total jobs 2014 3 2015 0 2016 43 2017 39 2018 23 2019 24 2020 (to 18th Nov) 10
HMO Registration recommendations 2017 to 2020
Year Number of Local Authority Registrations 2017 8 Ramsey (1) , Braddan (7) 2018 4 Ramsey (1), Douglas (3) 2019 0 - 2020 1 Douglas
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
2.7.-2.8. FTE GP partners, salaried GPs and consultants – Numbers
The Hon. Member for Ramsey (Mr Hooper) to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care:
2.7. How many full time equivalent GP partners there were in each of the last 10 years? 2.8. How many full time equivalent (a) salaried GPs; and (b) consultants at Noble’s Hospital there were in each of the last 10 years?
The Minister for Health and Social Care (Mr Ashford): The table below shows the relevant 1730 information as at 1st April each year:
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Number of GP Number of Number of DHSC Year Partners in Consultants at Salaried GPs General Practice Noble’s Hospital 2011 46.95 1.0 42.11 2012 44.95 1.0 46.10 2013 45.80 1.0 45.10 2014 45.35 0.2 48.87 2015 46.50 0.2 54.16 2016 46.50 1.0 50.63 2017 44.60 1.0 51.15 2018 42.50 1.0 53.20 2019 40.40 2.5 53.84 2020 38.60 1.8 56.99
The model of GP practice in the IoM is different to the current English model. The GPs working in GP practice in the IoM are predominantly partners of the GP practice business. The English model has many more salaried GPs working for GP practices and fewer partners in practice. This is a model that NHS England is trying to change and is encouraging GPs into partnerships. There is currently only one salaried GP on the Island working for a GP practice. For the purpose of the figures above this GP has been listed as a ‘partner in GP practice’. The salaried GPs listed in the table are employed by the Department to provide paid locum cover to the GP practices to enable GPs to come out of practice for sessional work with the Department or for professional responsibilities such as GP appraisal. They can also be used to provide emergency cover for sickness or unexpected absence, at the practices’ expense where applicable. Salaried GPs were introduced before 2010 and were intended to provide a GP resource into practices to enable GPs working in practices to work collaboratively with the Department. There are currently 4.5 wte GP vacancies. The DHSC is currently advertising for salaried GPs. Adverts close on 4th December and interviews will be held shortly thereafter. DHSC is also working closely with Locate.im to promote working in general practice on the Island. The Hon. Member will note that the number of hospital consultants has risen during the period above. This is due to a number of factors, explained below: o The Emergency Department has had three more consultants established to meet Royal College recommendations. o General surgery, gynaecology and paediatrics have each had an extra consultant to provide leave cover. Previously leave was covered by bank consultants and therefore provision of these posts saved significant overall costs. o The addition of acute medicine consultants, again, to meet Royal College recommendations. o Similarly in geriatrics, there was only ½ a geriatrician with the consultant compliment. The creation of further consultant posts in geriatrics has meant that geriatricians can partake in managing patients on the wards as well as in a community setting. o The introduction of a 24-hour consultant-led anaesthetic service.
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2.9. Electronic prescription service – Plans
The Hon. Member for Ramsey (Mr Hooper) to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care:
What legislative changes are needed to enable an electronic prescription service; and what plans he has to bring these before Tynwald or the Branches for consideration?
The Minister for Health and Social Care (Mr Ashford): Currently the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Regulations 2005 (the ‘POM’) permits the creation, endorsement and transmission of an e-prescription in place of a hand-written prescription (providing the prescription drug is not specified in Schedule 1, 2 or 3 of these Regulations). 1735 However, there are no legal provisions to dispense against an electronic prescription once it arrives at a pharmacy via electronic communication. In principle, to introduce the legislation to provide the service for the current as-is arrangements, the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Regulations 2005 will need to be updated subject to legislation process, namely consultation, Treasury approval and Tynwald 1740 approval. Additionally, the following regulations will need to be amended: the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2004 (the ‘Charges Regulations’); and the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005 1745 (the ‘Pharmaceutical Services Regulations’). Further consideration would be required on the investment and solutions necessary to implement an electronic prescription service. These amendments are not within the current DHSC legislative programme to introduce these amendments before Tynwald or the Branches within the current parliamentary year. The 1750 Department has, however, commenced discussion with the Attorney General’s Chambers to establish the necessary legislative changes required as outlined and understand the impact on the current programme if this were to be reprioritised.
2.10. IoM COVID-19 antibody testing – Report
The Hon. Member for Douglas Central (Mr Thomas) to ask the Minister for Health and Social Care:
Whether a revised report on COVID-19 antibody testing on the Isle of Man will be issued including an adjustment for the acknowledged statistical bias in the sample; and what plans he has for a formal population study as recommended in the preliminary report dated July 2020?
The Minister for Health and Social Care (Mr Ashford): The original report stated:
It is acknowledged that these figures, being derived from multiple patient and worker groups, are statistically biased to some extent but it also holds that they will give some insight to the estimated spread of COVID-19 on the IOM.
A revised report with a statistical bias adjustment will not be issued as it will not add any further 1755 information to the estimate at the time. The first 5,000 were offered as a clinical test by DHSC with a presumption that a formal study was to be set up for the remaining 5,000. However, antibody levels drop off quite quickly, and as we have not had any outbreaks on the Isle of Man (apart from occasional imported cases), the clinical advice is that at this time any further testing would be of very little use. ______438 K138 HOUSE OF KEYS, TUESDAY, 24th NOVEMBER 2020
MANX UTILITIES AUTHORITY
2.11. Sub-sea cable – Supply and IoM usage
The Hon. Member for Onchan (Ms Edge) to ask the Chairman of the Manx Utilities Authority:
How much daily supply passed through the sub-sea cable for on-Island usage and what the minimum and maximum amounts utilised were, in each of the last five years?
1760 The Chairman of the Manx Utilities Authority (Mr Baker): The information requested is provided in the following two tables:
Daily Min Daily Max Annual Summary MWh MWh Nov15-Oct16 0.000 833.1 Nov16-Oct17 0.000 1,118.8 Nov17-Oct18 0.000 1,136.7 Nov18-Oct19 0.000 1,007.6 Nov19-Oct20 0.000 988.5
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 1 January 1.5 - 0.2 - - 2 January 0.5 2.0 2.1 - 5.0 3 January 0.4 5.6 2.2 - - 4 January 1.4 4.5 2.8 - - 5 January 1.2 5.1 0.3 - - 6 January 1.5 2.2 5.1 - - 7 January 1.4 0.1 4.5 - - 8 January 3.0 2.1 3.3 - - 9 January 1.2 3.7 3.0 - - 10 January 0.5 15.0 86.7 - - 11 January 1.0 2.2 1.3 0.0 0.7 12 January 1.3 2.3 0.3 - - 13 January 4.5 4.6 0.2 0.0 - 14 January 2.8 1.0 1.0 - 21.7 15 January 5.2 0.1 2.9 - 24.4 16 January 14.7 2.2 22.9 - 5.1 17 January 8.9 2.2 6.0 - - 18 January 15.2 2.3 6.3 - - 19 January 12.4 2.2 11.9 - - 20 January 10.3 0.2 189.5 - - 21 January 9.8 0.9 2.3 - - 22 January 12.3 3.9 2.3 - - 23 January 11.1 2.1 6.4 - - 24 January 8.2 2.1 2.2 - -
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 25 January 18.1 2.0 2.5 - - 26 January 18.0 2.9 0.4 - - 27 January 17.8 2.3 0.2 - - 28 January 6.9 2.1 1.2 - - 29 January 11.5 4.8 2.7 - - 30 January 18.1 2.1 1.3 - - 31 January 5.3 2.1 2.6 - - 1 February 6.7 2.1 237.7 - 58.7 2 February 1.0 2.6 0.8 - - 3 February 0.8 1.2 0.2 - 1.5 4 February 0.8 2.2 0.4 - 2.2 5 February 0.6 1.8 1.5 - - 6 February 0.4 7.5 43.1 - - 7 February 2.7 9.7 3.6 - 0.0 8 February 1.8 6.6 6.0 0.4 2.0 9 February 57.3 7.8 0.2 69.3 - 10 February 0.6 3.8 0.9 - 4.5 11 February 70.6 8.0 1.2 - 27.7 12 February 1.2 6.5 2.5 - 2.0 13 February 0.7 10.5 4.5 - - 14 February 0.9 9.4 2.8 - 17.0 15 February 0.4 9.3 3.1 3.5 410.5 16 February 1.2 9.7 0.9 62.9 78.9 17 February 1.1 8.0 17.7 - - 18 February 0.8 6.8 8.7 - - 19 February 1.0 0.3 6.3 - 0.8 20 February 0.4 0.7 7.7 - 12.4 21 February 0.2 2.2 9.9 - 5.0 22 February 0.3 0.1 70.4 1.6 - 23 February 0.8 0.5 2.6 56.9 - 24 February 0.8 0.1 7.2 - - 25 February 1.8 - 5.5 - - 26 February 0.9 0.1 6.3 - - 27 February 1.2 2.0 6.2 - - 28 February 0.4 2.1 7.1 - - 29 February 1.6 5.0 1 March 0.6 2.1 91.1 - - 2 March 0.6 2.2 10.0 - - 3 March 0.4 - 46.2 - - 4 March 0.3 0.6 385.1 - - 5 March 0.6 0.2 413.2 - - 6 March 22.4 0.1 7.3 - - 7 March 320.0 2.0 4.3 - 3.0
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 8 March 71.7 0.0 4.9 - - 9 March 0.7 0.1 1.9 - - 10 March 0.8 0.1 3.2 - - 11 March 0.2 0.1 2.4 - - 12 March 0.2 0.0 3.5 - - 13 March 0.1 0.1 2.6 - - 14 March 0.1 0.0 1.1 - 5.0 15 March 0.2 2.0 2.3 6.5 - 16 March 0.3 5.0 64.8 0.3 - 17 March 0.3 0.2 0.8 - - 18 March 0.2 0.8 2.9 - - 19 March 0.1 0.0 5.9 - 16.4 20 March 0.3 0.1 4.8 - - 21 March 0.3 0.1 2.5 - - 22 March 0.1 0.4 2.6 - - 23 March 0.4 0.2 0.3 - - 24 March 0.3 0.2 7.0 - - 25 March 0.5 142.9 2.1 - - 26 March 0.7 158.4 2.3 - - 27 March 0.6 161.6 2.2 - - 28 March 0.7 128.4 2.1 - - 29 March 0.4 165.4 2.7 0.8 - 30 March 0.2 167.2 3.1 562.2 - 31 March 0.1 172.3 1.2 535.1 - 1 April 3.3 92.7 4.6 619.7 162.0 2 April 0.1 77.0 8.0 629.5 162.1 3 April 0.4 185.1 5.8 671.7 147.4 4 April 1.2 157.8 5.5 608.2 124.0 5 April 2.2 181.5 98.6 638.1 120.3 6 April 2.2 178.1 18.7 550.9 118.8 7 April 0.7 172.6 166.2 532.5 104.1 8 April 0.2 83.8 133.8 635.4 118.7 9 April 73.9 75.8 207.5 633.0 100.9 10 April 0.1 172.9 205.8 574.3 107.0 11 April 1.1 134.0 206.6 577.4 78.2 12 April 1.4 169.9 205.3 431.9 143.4 13 April 1.3 114.4 220.4 881.7 155.5 14 April 1.7 79.0 140.7 885.0 162.9 15 April 0.9 57.0 143.7 1,001.4 151.2 16 April - 85.5 38.4 925.9 147.4 17 April 0.0 97.1 0.1 829.3 147.2 18 April 0.1 192.7 0.2 989.2 364.9 19 April 0.5 175.3 53.0 814.3 440.3
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 20 April 99.2 133.7 - 564.2 502.8 21 April 53.9 18.5 - - 988.5 22 April - 31.8 - - 787.4 23 April - 0.2 191.7 - 507.7 24 April 0.1 4.0 174.0 - 482.8 25 April 0.0 0.1 77.9 - 476.0 26 April 1.7 112.1 - - 498.7 27 April 0.0 224.7 - 191.3 541.6 28 April 0.9 164.6 31.7 149.3 601.8 29 April - 391.2 32.1 197.0 609.6 30 April 193.1 512.8 0.0 218.6 609.2 1 May 196.1 503.1 0.1 190.2 395.0 2 May 212.7 506.3 0.2 204.0 117.4 3 May 208.6 587.4 0.1 206.8 51.1 4 May 216.6 588.3 - 595.4 89.8 5 May 215.9 593.1 882.3 84.1 92.5 6 May 196.2 541.8 891.3 129.8 93.0 7 May 161.6 543.5 967.3 187.7 74.2 8 May 145.4 611.3 1,080.7 231.7 54.5 9 May 235.9 585.4 1,101.0 217.0 36.6 10 May 223.4 564.7 1,063.3 262.0 54.3 11 May 238.5 550.9 1,117.4 635.9 110.7 12 May 234.5 557.5 964.2 85.3 104.4 13 May 208.2 487.5 934.9 169.6 116.9 14 May 147.4 133.4 1,025.3 170.6 93.9 15 May 153.5 263.5 1,066.3 164.3 84.9 16 May 187.0 261.1 1,028.7 141.1 57.5 17 May 213.6 19.9 1,025.2 143.5 88.3 18 May 201.5 3.4 1,026.8 94.3 61.9 19 May 214.5 67.3 939.1 85.4 64.9 20 May 213.7 157.4 924.3 143.3 56.7 21 May 133.1 125.1 1,019.5 136.8 33.7 22 May 121.5 299.9 1,029.2 138.5 22.4 23 May 148.6 211.3 587.6 167.6 201.8 24 May 161.3 194.5 38.5 146.1 126.5 25 May 152.2 184.9 - 114.3 - 26 May 176.3 208.8 - 102.6 3.1 27 May 204.4 159.7 - 112.3 2.0 28 May 125.1 147.4 0.5 36.5 0.0 29 May 104.3 179.2 1.3 1.9 0.1 30 May 152.1 156.0 0.8 - - 31 May 121.8 66.6 1.4 2.0 35.5 1 June 149.1 7.6 0.1 - 62.6
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 2 June 149.5 6.9 0.0 - 69.5 3 June 100.7 2.5 0.4 35.5 84.6 4 June 58.6 0.1 1.2 99.4 55.8 5 June 57.2 1.7 1.2 - 43.9 6 June 132.8 4.2 1.2 - 28.2 7 June 162.7 2.3 0.2 - 25.5 8 June 153.3 74.5 - - 35.6 9 June 138.2 - - - 358.6 10 June 113.2 - 0.2 - 341.0 11 June 76.0 0.3 0.0 - 67.3 12 June 74.8 0.1 0.1 - 54.8 13 June 144.0 50.1 - 41.5 - 14 June 81.7 0.0 - - - 15 June 160.7 26.4 - - - 16 June 144.6 - 0.1 - - 17 June 184.5 - 44.1 - - 18 June 153.7 - 122.7 - - 19 June 157.6 0.1 98.2 - - 20 June 207.4 0.2 110.4 - - 21 June 273.5 0.1 103.1 - - 22 June 484.6 0.1 92.3 34.8 - 23 June 473.9 2.6 44.4 - - 24 June 430.5 70.4 50.3 - 12.3 25 June 356.5 46.1 104.6 - 133.8 26 June 438.6 127.1 92.5 1.0 - 27 June 529.3 150.5 127.0 84.8 - 28 June 495.0 151.5 130.8 - 123.3 29 June 467.6 175.1 118.8 134.4 151.1 30 June 473.4 139.8 300.6 103.6 154.3 1 July 461.7 43.7 506.7 146.6 124.6 2 July 390.5 37.1 138.2 119.4 122.2 3 July 502.8 120.7 123.1 118.5 142.3 4 July 553.8 176.5 132.2 134.3 63.7 5 July 543.2 70.3 75.9 120.8 57.6 6 July 551.1 181.7 99.2 69.7 67.3 7 July 543.1 170.3 43.1 77.9 126.1 8 July 507.4 351.1 47.8 155.8 78.6 9 July 411.6 333.5 124.9 133.3 73.0 10 July 387.6 452.0 144.4 145.5 65.0 11 July 520.6 566.1 124.1 107.9 32.0 12 July 585.0 616.3 129.5 93.2 43.9 13 July 191.1 735.5 115.1 23.3 120.8 14 July 129.1 525.2 318.5 316.9 105.5
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 15 July 96.6 395.9 64.6 898.4 166.1 16 July 1.1 370.1 133.3 974.3 168.3 17 July 103.2 481.3 128.5 631.6 151.7 18 July 81.3 490.3 142.2 167.5 80.0 19 July 3.5 510.8 138.6 192.4 17.2 20 July 46.0 533.9 152.4 45.5 135.8 21 July 0.6 544.9 64.7 58.5 141.1 22 July 1.4 412.7 64.5 133.1 169.9 23 July - 246.5 133.5 118.9 117.0 24 July 0.0 196.5 137.5 122.6 92.4 25 July 0.8 128.9 139.1 121.6 - 26 July 21.3 141.2 134.7 101.9 - 27 July 16.1 120.5 137.5 37.5 - 28 July 61.7 106.9 74.3 62.6 - 29 July 23.9 35.1 89.2 69.4 - 30 July 439.5 24.9 150.0 70.0 - 31 July 70.9 101.2 120.2 19.1 - 1 August 58.7 106.4 142.8 90.4 - 2 August 0.4 130.1 134.4 86.6 - 3 August 0.8 116.6 156.8 57.2 - 4 August 0.8 85.8 64.4 56.9 - 5 August - 38.8 70.9 91.2 - 6 August - 47.6 135.7 114.7 - 7 August - 84.0 81.1 101.6 - 8 August 0.0 9.8 211.8 90.4 - 9 August 0.4 2.1 937.2 - - 10 August 0.5 0.2 787.7 - - 11 August 0.1 28.7 88.0 - 406.4 12 August 0.1 25.9 84.4 - 34.9 13 August - 0.5 148.5 39.9 - 14 August 0.2 0.0 119.3 - - 15 August 0.1 - 147.6 - 27.4 16 August 0.0 0.0 128.5 - 143.2 17 August 0.1 0.2 136.6 34.4 183.1 18 August 0.1 - 58.7 - 162.2 19 August - - 77.5 - 173.5 20 August 0.2 0.2 114.5 - 160.9 21 August - 1.1 120.0 - 146.2 22 August 0.0 0.1 147.1 - 7.7 23 August 0.6 0.0 128.3 - - 24 August 0.2 0.1 146.4 - - 25 August 0.5 - 80.3 - - 26 August 0.8 - 83.6 - -
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 27 August - - 91.1 - - 28 August - 0.3 141.7 - - 29 August 0.0 0.4 125.6 - 5.8 30 August 0.2 - 127.1 - 43.8 31 August 0.0 0.1 100.3 - - 1 September 0.0 - 63.4 - - 2 September - - 71.4 - - 3 September 114.5 - 562.4 - - 4 September 40.8 1.1 151.1 - - 5 September 0.1 2.2 130.8 - - 6 September - 3.2 122.4 - - 7 September 0.1 15.9 102.6 13.6 - 8 September 0.1 0.2 108.0 - - 9 September 0.0 5.7 96.1 - - 10 September - 2.1 145.1 - - 11 September - 1.1 142.5 - 40.3 12 September 0.0 1.5 146.7 - 645.9 13 September 0.7 4.0 163.1 - 609.1 14 September 0.7 1.6 173.5 - 584.0 15 September 1.0 0.8 116.3 - 505.1 16 September 4.1 127.6 111.6 - 576.5 17 September 97.0 138.6 207.5 - 545.9 18 September 125.7 235.9 202.5 121.9 501.3 19 September 129.5 281.2 210.8 - 447.4 20 September 194.4 1,118.8 203.5 - 539.0 21 September 211.9 1,090.7 206.0 - 516.1 22 September 203.6 951.2 169.8 - 790.5 23 September 179.4 257.9 160.8 - 521.4 24 September 151.6 167.4 179.4 - 747.7 25 September 129.5 168.3 129.9 - 830.1 26 September 238.6 148.8 145.7 - 488.9 27 September 221.2 216.1 171.5 - 71.0 28 September 230.3 167.7 141.6 74.2 31.9 29 September 224.5 96.6 82.1 131.6 - 30 September 196.6 131.8 80.8 163.2 - 1 October 169.7 137.3 129.5 205.6 - 2 October 130.4 149.6 170.3 512.1 - 3 October 187.7 88.1 169.6 559.4 0.2 4 October 28.1 0.1 528.4 432.4 3.0 5 October 1.7 0.0 689.2 116.4 - 6 October 120.2 - 813.0 106.6 - 7 October - 0.1 828.0 180.7 - 8 October - - 345.7 53.6 -
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 9 October 0.1 - 84.3 63.7 - 10 October 0.1 0.0 - - - 11 October 2.1 85.9 0.8 - - 12 October 0.1 32.6 - - - 13 October 0.1 82.3 - - - 14 October 7.5 - - - 105.2 15 October 121.7 - - - 125.3 16 October 126.2 - - - - 17 October 187.1 18.1 - 73.0 - 18 October 168.3 0.2 - - - 19 October 44.1 0.3 - - - 20 October 59.4 201.9 - - - 21 October 539.0 161.0 2.1 - - 22 October 409.5 155.1 2.7 - - 23 October 110.4 0.0 23.1 - 1.0 24 October 0.6 0.6 1,124.6 - 2.3 25 October 0.0 0.2 1,119.3 60.7 10.2 26 October - 0.1 1,136.7 - 2.0 27 October 1.8 - 1,059.0 - 6.3 28 October 2.7 0.3 996.1 - 23.0 29 October - 34.0 1,084.6 - 28.3 30 October 0.1 577.2 1,044.3 - 3.9 31 October 5.7 0.4 1,034.4 - 3.0 1 November 769.0 0.0 1.2 1,007.6 - 2 November 833.1 0.0 1.7 845.9 - 3 November 599.4 0.2 - 63.9 - 4 November 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.5 - 5 November 0.1 - 0.2 2.3 - 6 November 0.2 0.1 0.1 3.5 - 7 November 55.1 12.5 0.2 2.8 - 8 November 0.0 221.2 0.4 66.0 - 9 November 0.2 - 0.5 2.8 - 10 November 0.1 0.1 - - - 11 November 0.2 0.2 - 0.2 - 12 November 0.2 0.1 - 165.3 - 13 November 0.1 - 0.9 5.1 - 14 November 0.2 0.3 0.5 3.0 151.7 15 November 0.6 0.8 0.1 0.1 - 16 November 0.2 0.2 213.1 1.6 - 17 November 0.4 0.6 0.3 2.8 - 18 November 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.3 - 19 November 0.4 0.5 0.3 2.1 - 20 November 1.0 0.2 0.1 5.4 -
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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Import Import Import Import Import Import MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh MWh 21 November 0.5 1.1 0.1 1.1 - 22 November 0.2 6.0 0.2 - 96.0 23 November 2.2 2.3 0.2 - - 24 November 0.9 2.3 0.0 - - 25 November 0.9 - 60.7 - - 26 November 0.5 0.2 0.2 - - 27 November 0.9 0.2 0.6 0.1 - 28 November 0.7 2.3 5.2 0.7 - 29 November 0.4 6.7 6.5 0.6 - 30 November 1.1 2.6 6.8 0.7 - 1 December 1.1 2.1 3.6 0.0 - 2 December 1.7 0.7 4.6 0.0 - 3 December 2.0 0.2 4.3 0.5 - 4 December 1.3 0.5 6.9 - - 5 December 0.8 2.1 2.0 - - 6 December 1.0 2.2 2.1 - - 7 December 1.2 2.3 2.5 - - 8 December 46.9 2.0 0.3 15.6 - 9 December 1.5 0.2 1.7 0.6 - 10 December 52.8 6.4 2.0 - - 11 December 1.5 2.7 7.5 - - 12 December 1.8 7.2 15.0 0.3 - 13 December 0.8 3.7 22.1 2.6 - 14 December 1.6 2.9 16.0 - - 15 December 2.1 2.6 8.0 27.9 - 16 December 1.7 0.4 2.9 - - 17 December 1.3 10.4 1.1 - - 18 December 1.5 2.1 2.3 - - 19 December 0.6 2.2 2.1 - 20.8 20 December 0.6 2.5 3.3 - 0.0 21 December 1.8 3.3 2.1 - - 22 December 1.3 5.1 0.0 - - 23 December 3.6 0.1 0.0 - - 24 December 1.4 1.1 - - - 25 December 195.8 1.1 0.1 - - 26 December 3.6 3.1 0.3 - - 27 December 2.7 7.6 2.2 - - 28 December 2.7 7.5 1.6 - - 29 December 0.9 2.4 - - - 30 December 0.5 0.1 - - - 31 December 0.8 0.2 - - -
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2.12. Energy from Waste Plant – Output
The Hon. Member for Onchan (Ms Edge) to ask the Chairman of the Manx Utilities Authority:
How many megawatts were generated and supplied to the Manx Utilities Authority from the Energy from Waste Plant in the last 12 months?
The Chairman of the Manx Utilities Authority (Mr Baker): For the 12 months to the end of October 2020 the Energy from Waste Plant supplied 23,439 MWh of electricity to Manx Utilities. 1765 The amount of electricity generated from the Energy from Waste facility will be in excess of the amount of electricity supplied to Manx Utilities due to some of the electricity generated being consumed within the Energy from Waste Plant.
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Order of the Day
3. LEAVE TO INTRODUCE
Private Member’s Bill to amend the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 – Leave to introduce granted
The Hon. Member for Ramsey (Mr Hooper) to move:
That leave be given to introduce a Private Member’s Bill to make further provision in relation to leasehold premises and to amend the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 in respect of compulsory purchases; and for connected purposes.
The Speaker: We turn then to Item 3, leave to introduce, and I call on the Hon. Member for Ramsey, Mr Hooper, to move. 1770 Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Back in March last year, Hon. Members will recall that the House very kindly gave me leave to introduce this exact Bill. I managed to get a draft Bill put together in one place and then shortly after that Bill was nearly ready, coronavirus reared its ugly head and unfortunately, that has 1775 caused some delays in getting that final draft over the line. I believe myself that there are now only a few minor changes left to be made to the draft Bill itself, but these cannot be done until leave has been formally granted again by this Hon. House, so I am here asking for a renewal of that previously. There is nothing different here in what I originally asked for. 1780 Just to recap on what it was I was originally talking about back in March, the proposals in terms of leasehold reform come in two parts. The first is to ensure that leaseholders – and with leaseholders in this context, I am talking solely about individuals who own a long leasehold in a residential flat – would have the unqualified right to assume management of their block of flats. These proposals would enable leaseholders to get together, form their own management 1785 company, which I propose would follow the UK model, and apply to the Isle of Man tribunal for a management order. I think using the UK Act for the management company formation still makes a lot of sense, as it is a simple and well-tried process that has been in place in the United Kingdom for nearly 20 years. The second aspect of the Bill is to enable leaseholders with the right to purchase their freehold, 1790 and again the existing legislation on the Isle of Man already has this as a qualified right, provided that the leaseholder can meet certain conditions. The proposal in the Bill is that it will simply remove these particular conditions, meaning the existing Isle of Man processes can be used along with all the protections and safeguards that currently exist inside the law. I think that is an important point to make, and I will reiterate that, because it is very important 1795 that we have safeguards in place for both elements of this Bill, both in terms of adopting management control and also the ability to purchase a freehold. I think both of those methods have a lot of advantages for leaseholders, but equally, there is a bit of risk there in terms of how we manage that process, and landlords have an absolute right to make sure their interests are properly protected and safeguards are in place to make sure that these provisions of the Bill 1800 cannot be abused. Happily, though, the Isle of Man legislation already has a process for determining value, for settling disputes, for actually going through these processes, so there is no real need to reinvent the wheel here. There is no need to overcomplicate things.
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I am still proposing these changes will be consulted on, and I intend to do that as soon as the 1805 final minor changes to the draft Bill have been made. In short, Hon. Members, this proposal is about rebalancing the rights for long leaseholders in residential flats and making those rights commensurate with the rights they would have if they were living in the UK, but using our own existing Manx processes. Mr Speaker, these proposals are unchanged from March last year, and I beg leave to finish this Bill in order that I can bring it 1810 before the House early next year. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
The Speaker: Hon. Member for Ramsey, Dr Allinson.
1815 Dr Allinson: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I beg to second and reserve my remarks.
The Speaker: Hon. Member for Douglas Central, Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. 1820 I welcome this proposal. There would have to be a really good reason to vote against a leave to introduce, and I cannot imagine a good reason in this case. But I do have two questions for the hon. requester of an extension of the leave to introduce. The first one is about the consultation that he proposes. I wonder what resources he will need to help with that consultation. What availability is there of staff to handle this consultation? What 1825 format will it take or will it be stakeholder engagement and so on? Obviously we are very busy in the final year, and we are always being told that. The second question is perhaps slightly more mischievous: obviously, the housing strategy is long overdue. It was due first of all in 2018 and then again in 2019, when it was divided into lots of little bits – although there was a pretence, it was made into an all-Island national strategy and 1830 the Department of which the hon. mover is a member is actually responsible in part for that housing strategy, which was actually due in October, but it is now coming back at some point in the future. I just wondered if the hon. mover could advise what the policy in that housing strategy will be on this very topic, because it seems like quite a massive topic to do with the future occupation of housing in the Isle of Man. I wonder whether that sort of basic fundamental issue 1835 has actually been decided in the Department of which he is a member in respect of the housing strategy.
The Speaker: Mover to reply.
1840 Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank Mr Thomas for his comments. I totally agree with him that you would have to have a very good reason not to support this leave to introduce today. (Laughter) In terms of the consultation, I intend to manage that myself. I have already engaged with the team in the Cabinet Office who have offered to provide me with some technical support in terms 1845 of getting it up on the consultation hub, which is the right place, I think, to consult on these things. So I do not see there being any huge impact on staffing resource availability. In terms of the housing strategy, the Hon. Member is right. Originally in the Programme for Government, there was a housing strategy as far back as 2016 as one of the key deliverables, which then morphed somehow into an affordable housing strategy without any real engagement, 1850 and now we are back to where we started, trying to put a housing strategy together. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to comment on Council of Ministers’ policies or principles or what they intended to do in terms of that housing strategy. As much as I would like to be able to direct them, that is not within my gift and, unfortunately, I think the Member is probably better placed to have that conversation with the Minister for Policy and Reform or the Chief Minister 1855 directly.
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Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I beg to move.
The Speaker: I put the question of leave to introduce along the lines set out at Item 3 on the Order Paper. Those in favour, please say aye; against, no. The ayes have it. The ayes have it.
4. BILL FOR THIRD READING
4.1. Medicines (Amendment) Bill 2020 – Third Reading approved
Mr Ashford to move:
That the Medicines (Amendment) Bill 2020 be read a third time.
1860 The Speaker: Item 4, Bill for Third Reading – Medicines (Amendment) Bill 2020. I call on Mr Ashford to move.
Mr Ashford: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am pleased to move the Third Reading of the Medicines (Amendment) Bill 2020, and in doing 1865 so, Mr Speaker, I am sure Hon. Members will be delighted and also somewhat relieved to know that I will be a lot briefer than I was at clauses stage. (Several Members: Hear, hear.) To recap briefly, this Bill will amend the Medicines Act 2003 to ensure that the Island’s laws regulating the sale, supply and administration of prescription-only medicines operate in the manner intended by the Department. These amendments being made will make it clear on the 1870 face of the Act itself that, as general rules, no person shall sell or supply prescription medication otherwise than in accordance with a prescription issued by an appropriate practitioner, and no person shall administer otherwise to himself a prescription medicine unless he is an appropriate practitioner or acts in accordance with the directions of one. I am grateful to Hon. Members for their support in the passage of this Bill and to the 1875 Hon. Member for Douglas Central, Mrs Corlett for seconding the Bill, Mr Speaker. I beg to move that the Medicines (Amendment) Bill 2020 be read for a third time.
The Speaker: I call on Mrs Corlett.
1880 Mrs Corlett: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I beg to second.
The Speaker: Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. 1885 I just would like a reassurance from the mover about the timing of the Legislative Council consideration of this Bill and also bringing it into force with an Appointed Day Order, because obviously in Tynwald last week we passed some quite fundamental changes to the Medicines Act, which we obviously discussed with representatives of the people involved, but as yet, not widely known, it seems, with my engagement with people over the weekend, real pharmacists and so 1890 on. So is there any likelihood or chance even that this legislation might need amendment upstairs in the light of the quite profound changes that were made by secondary legislation in Tynwald last week?
The Speaker: Mover to reply. 1895
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Mr Ashford: Thank you, Mr Speaker. As far as I am aware, there is nothing that was passed in Tynwald that will interfere or need amendment for this Bill. In terms of its passage through Legislative Council, it will be the normal timescale. There has been no attempt to rush this Bill as has been seen in this House. 1900 The Speaker: I put the question that the Medicines (Amendment) Bill 2020 be read for a third time. Those in favour, please say aye; against, no. The ayes have it. The ayes have it.
5. CONSIDERATION OF COUNCIL AMENDMENTS
5.1. Sexual Offences and Obscene Publications Bill 2019 – Council amendments considered
Mr Cregeen to move.
The Speaker: We turn now to Item 5, consideration of Council amendments, Sexual Offences and Obscene Publications Bill 2019, in the hands of Mr Cregeen. 1905 Mr Cregeen: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and following on from my colleague, the Minister for Health, I shall be brief as well. I am happy to advise that my Department is content with the amendments made in the Legislative Council and is supportive of these being agreed in the House. 1910 Mr Speaker, I would like to thank Hon. Members in this House and those in the other place for their time, diligence and consideration in ensuring that the Bill in its final form is as robust as possible. This is a landmark piece of legislation bringing changes which will enhance the safety of our society for years to come. Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the amendments made in the Legislative Council be accepted, 1915 that they form part of the Bill and the Bill do pass.
The Speaker: I call on the Hon. Member for Douglas East, Mrs Barber.
Mrs Barber: Thank you. I beg to second and reserve my remarks. 1920 The Speaker: Mr Hooper.
Mr Hooper: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am happy to support these amendments, but amendment number 3 is one that raises some 1925 concern for me. This is the amendment that deals with specifically the requirement on a regulated professional to report suspected child abuse. I take Hon. Members back to similar provisions in terms of financial crime and anti-money laundering. In an anti-money-laundering context, it is personal responsibility on an individual to report suspected money laundering and it is a criminal offence for that individual not to do so. 1930 That is the way our money-laundering rules work. What has been drafted inside the Sexual Offences and Obscene Publications Bill is not a personal responsibility to report. In the original draft, there was a get-out clause. You could say, ‘Actually, somebody else has reported’ or ‘I think somebody else has reported’, and that would be enough to absolve you of the responsibility to make a notification yourself. 1935 At the time I felt that was too broad. You cannot give people a get-out, because if I think someone else has reported and they think I have reported, then actually nobody makes a report
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and this kind of behaviour goes unnoticed. So this amendment is a step in the right direction, saying, actually, we are going to get rid of that get-out; you will have a duty to report yourself. My concern with the wording, though, is that it only requires you to report yourself and only 1940 absolves you of that responsibility, for not reporting essentially, if you have complied with your safeguarding policy that has been prescribed for the purposes in regulations made by the Department. So it is perfectly feasible for a Department to write a safeguarding policy that says, ‘If you think someone else has reported, you do not have to report.’ That, I feel, would completely undermine the entire purpose of what we are trying to achieve here with this particular section 1945 of the Bill. I appreciate the change that has been made. It is definitely a positive move, but I would like the mover to confirm that as they go through prescribing policies that are covered by this section of the Bill, they will make sure that actually there remains an individual obligation to report and there is no way of discharging that obligation other than by making a report, because otherwise I 1950 think we are risking these kinds of things going unnoticed. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: Hon. Member, Mr Moorhouse.
1955 Mr Moorhouse: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is just a small concern regarding the amendment to clause 160: in terms of the age … relating to the children, but also what provision is there for children not being with their parents or under the parental control in terms of living with them any more? Thank you. 1960 The Speaker: I call on the mover to reply.
Mr Cregeen: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I would like to thank the Hon. Member for Ramsey, Mr Hooper, for raising his concerns with me earlier, and I fully understand his concern. Yes, we 1965 give that undertaking that I fully understand where he is coming from. Mr Speaker, the part from my colleague for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, the amendment to clause 160 relating to young offenders is parental directions to make clear that when a young offender is required to attend a police station under section 159(3), their parent must ensure that they attend with them. So the parent must attend with them to ensure that you have some 1970 parental guidance as well. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I beg to move.
The Speaker: I put the question that the Legislative Council amendments to the Sexual Offences and Obscene Publications Bill 2019 be approved. Those in favour, say aye; against, no. 1975 The ayes have it. The ayes have it. Hon. Members. I have been asked to remind you of the Manx Utilities’ presentation, which will commence at 12.30, with the presentation itself being at 1.15. With that, Hon. Members, that concludes the business before the House this morning, and we will reconvene at 2.30 this afternoon in Tynwald Court.
The House adjourned at 11.52 a.m.
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