Tribute to Dr Edgar Mann, former Tynwald Member The President: Hon. Members, you will be aware that the death of our former colleague, Dr Edgar Mann, occurred a few days ago. Dr Mann served in both the House of Keys and the Legislative Council for some 23 years. From his position as a GP in Laxey, he first entered public service as a Commissioner in the village before standing successfully for the House of Keys in 1976. In his early years, displaying a sharp intellect and an analytical mind, he rapidly earned the confidence of his peers and moved into leading roles in Tynwald, becoming Chairman of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Finance Board. It was as Chairman of the latter Board that he made what I consider was a crucial contribution to the fortunes of this Island when dealing with the crisis of the SIB collapse. The Finance Board, under his leadership, set about establishing the Financial Supervision Commission. He became its first Chairman in 1983, thus setting in place the beginnings of the regulatory regime to restore the Island’s credibility and set down the foundations which led to the growth of the finance sector, which is and has been such an important part of our economy. Elected first from the other place to this Council in 1985, it was as a Council Member that he led the Government in 1985 and 1986 as Chairman of Executive Council, the cabinet of the day. With ministerial Government due to commence after the Election of 1986, he determined to resign from Council and seek a mandate from the people with a view to continuing his leadership. He contested the election in Garff, which has been reduced from two seats to one – a decision which saw two major political figures of the day, the Chairman of Executive and the Speaker of the House of Keys, fighting for the support of the Garff electorate to fill the now single seat. Dr Mann was unsuccessful and his political talents were lost to the Court for four years until a by- election in Garff saw him returned again to the House of Keys for another period of five years. During that time he became the Acting Speaker of the House. His political career followed a somewhat unusual pattern in that he returned, yet again, to the Legislative Council in 1995 and in the ensuing years was a leading member of the Alternative Policy Group, which was the first cohesive opposition group in Tynwald in the last half century, challenging the Government and paving the way perhaps to the increased levels of scrutiny which we have through our Standing Committees today. However, neither his membership of the Legislative Council, nor membership of the APG acted against his appointment as Minister for Education for a period of three years. He was a man of strong conviction. His contribution to debates commanded the ear of his colleagues and his high-calibre work in the Court was recognised in his frequent selection as a Member of Tynwald Committees. Although suffering a severe stroke during the early 1980s, which caused him to give up his GP practice, his tenacity and perseverance in the face of this blow saw him continue effectively in his political role until his retirement in 2003. Edgar Mann was one of the most significant players on the Manx political scene in the last 50 years. His entry in the Tynwald Companion and in Hansard stand testament to that. I will be making further reference in Tywnald, Hon. Members, but I invite you, as we extend our condolences to his widow and family, to stand for a few moments of silent contemplation on the contribution of Dr Edgar Mann to this Council and Tynwald Court. Members stood in silence. The President: Thank you, Hon. Members. Legislative Council 25 June 2013 .