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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, 27th October 2015 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 133, No. 2 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, 2015 HOUSE OF KEYS, TUESDAY, 27th OCTOBER 2015 Present: The Speaker (Hon. S C Rodan) (Garff); The Chief Minister (Hon. A R Bell) (Ramsey); Mr G G Boot (Glenfaba); Mr L I Singer (Ramsey); Hon. W E Teare (Ayre); Mr A L Cannan (Michael); Mr R K Harmer (Peel); Mr P Karran, Mr Z Hall and Mr D J Quirk (Onchan); Hon. R H Quayle (Middle); Mr J R Houghton (Douglas North); Mrs K J Beecroft and Mr W M Malarkey (Douglas South); Mr C R Robertshaw (Douglas East); Hon. J P Shimmin and Mr C C Thomas (Douglas West); Hon. R A Ronan (Castletown); Mr G D Cregeen (Malew and Santon); Hon. J P Watterson, Hon. L D Skelly and Hon. P A Gawne (Rushen); with Mr R I S Phillips, Clerk of Tynwald. ________________________________________________________________________ 12 K133 HOUSE OF KEYS, TUESDAY, 27th OCTOBER 2015 Business transacted Leave of absence granted ............................................................................................................... 15 1. Questions for Oral Answer................................................................................................ 15 1.1. Electoral register – Date for completion .......................................................................... 15 1.2. Gas prices – Response to recent changes ........................................................................ 20 1.3. Commercial office accommodation – Empty premises and initiatives to increase take-up .................................................................................................................................... 25 1.4. Blue Badges – Recognition in other jurisdictions ............................................................. 27 1.5. Cannabis and derivatives – Medical use .......................................................................... 28 1.6. The Nunnery – Rent ......................................................................................................... 30 1.7. International organisations – Promotion of Island as location for headquarters ........... 31 1.8. TT World Series – Expenditure and progress ................................................................... 32 Question 1.9. to be answered in writing ........................................................................................ 35 1.10. Isle of Man Constabulary – Number of officers leaving and reasons ............................ 35 Suspension of Standing Orders to take remaining Oral Questions – Motion lost; Questions 11-15 deferred to next sitting ....................................................................................... 37 2. Questions for Written Answer .......................................................................................... 39 1.9. Drug Arrest Referral Scheme – Recent work undertaken; whether still active ............... 39 2.1. Isle of Man Constabulary – Number of resignations, retirements .................................. 39 2.2. Ramsey Post Office – Members of committee tasked with negotiations ........................ 41 Order of the Day .................................................................................................................. 42 3. Bills for First Reading .............................................................................................................. 42 3.1. Police (Amendment) Bill 2015 .......................................................................................... 42 3.2. Criminal Procedure and Investigations Bill 2015 ............................................................. 42 4. House of Keys Standing Orders Committee ............................................................................ 42 4.1. Standing Orders Committee – First Report for the Session 2015-16 received and recommendation approved .................................................................................................... 42 5. Leave to introduce .................................................................................................................. 48 5.1. A Bill to rename Douglas West – Leave to introduce – Motion carried ........................... 48 6. Consideration of clauses ......................................................................................................... 51 6.1. Audit (Amendment) Bill 2015 – Clauses considered ........................................................ 51 6.2. Highways (Amendment) Bill 2015 – Consideration of clauses deferred .......................... 60 6.3. War Memorials Bill 2015 – Clauses considered ............................................................... 60 The House adjourned at 12.12 p.m. ............................................................................................... 63 ________________________________________________________________________ 13 K133 HOUSE OF KEYS, TUESDAY, 27th OCTOBER 2015 PAGE LEFT DELIBERATELY BLANK ________________________________________________________________________ 14 K133 HOUSE OF KEYS, TUESDAY, 27th OCTOBER 2015 House of Keys The House met at 10.00 a.m. [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] The Speaker: Moghrey mie, Hon. Members. Members: Good morning, Mr Speaker. 5 The Speaker: The Chaplain will lead us in prayer. PRAYERS The Chaplain of the House of Keys Leave of absence granted The Speaker: Hon. Members, I have given leave of absence to the Hon. Member for Douglas North, Mr Peake, who is off Island on Government business. The Hon. Member for Rushen, Mr Watterson will join us in the course of this morning. 1. Questions for Oral Answer CHIEF MINISTER 1.1. Electoral register – Date for completion The Hon. Member for Onchan (Mr Karran) to ask the Chief Minister: What action he is taking to ensure that electoral lists are complete; and when he estimates his work will be complete? 10 The Speaker: Questions for Oral Answer, Item 1, and I call on the Hon. Member for Onchan, Mr Karran. Question 1. Mr Karran: Vainstyr Loayreyder, I ask the Question standing in my name: what action is he taking to ensure that electoral lists are complete, and what is it estimated his work will take to 15 complete? ________________________________________________________________________ 15 K133 HOUSE OF KEYS, TUESDAY, 27th OCTOBER 2015 The Speaker: I call on the Chief Minister to reply. Mr Bell. The Chief Minister (Mr Bell): Thank you, Mr Speaker. 20 It would be ideal to have the electoral register complete, but with continual population changes requiring the register to be regularly updated, the register will always be a work in progress. The Speaker: Supplementary question, Mr Karran. 25 Mr Karran: Vainstyr Loayreyder, would the Ard-shirveishagh not agree that it is absolutely appalling when you allow for the fact of when we used to have the Assessment Board with two or three officers on it, and now how many officers – would the Chief Minister like to tell us – we have got compiling the lists on a full-time basis within the section? 30 Would he also clarify to this House, with the fact that we have got a computer system now, why are the voters’ lists so appallingly wrong as far as reflecting the true reality of what people are living in different constituencies? The Speaker: Chief Minister to reply. 35 The Chief Minister: That is an interesting observation, Mr Speaker. The Hon. Member, I am sure, has been amongst all of us over the years who have complained constantly about the number of people who have been actually registered on the voters’ list who have either died, moved away or are no longer certainly in that vicinity. The voters’ list has been so out of date 40 and has been lacking in that cleansing exercise for many years, and this is what has been happening. A large number of names have been taken off the register, but it is because they no longer are relevant. The names are of people who have died or have moved away. The onus, nevertheless, on everybody else is for every individual to make sure their name is on the voters’ list. 45 We are doing our best within pretty much the same resource, actually, as the Hon. Member just refers to. I think there are three or four people working on the register to try and make sure the register is as up to date as it possibly can be, but this really is catching up because the register has been out of date, it has been wrong for a great many years, and the register we will end up with – and I hope we are close to it now – will be a more accurate reflection of the true 50 voter numbers in any particular constituency. The Speaker: Hon. Member for Douglas South, Mrs Beecroft. Mrs Beecroft: Thank you, Mr Speaker. 55 Would the Chief Minister agree that it would have been beneficial had another step been put in the process when forming the new list, that people who were on the old list and did not return the form should be contacted again? That second stage, if you like – just a safeguard to stop what