The new Tuesday Examiner sees some big changes.

Today’s paper introduces a new sports section, Final Whistle, which is a newspaper within a newspaper.

The Examiner is in the shops now.

The organisers of an art event are promoting ‘yarn bombing’.

The Creative Network run the annual visual arts festival WOSAT (Western Open Studios Art Trail) in May.

A spokesman said: ‘Yarn bombing is knitted graffiti or street art which involves decorating street furniture, trees, cars – literally anything – with colourful and decorative knitting or crochet to create a wonderfully cheerful effect.’

The group is talking to Peel Commissioners about where to ‘yarn bomb’ but for everyone else, the first thing they will know is when they see Peel a riot of colourful knitted objects.

A group of knitters are already busy working on the project but as this is such an ambitious project they are looking for donations of acrylic yarn, not pure wool as the knitting will have to survive outside in all weathers.

Shoprite stores, island wide, have agreed to act as venues for the yarn donations and there will be a bag at most stores where people can drop off any unwanted yarn.

Yarn can also be dropped off at the Isle Gallery at Tynwald Mills, St John’s.

WOSAT will take place over the bank holiday weekend of May 3, 4 and 5 as long as Isle of Man Arts Council funding has been secured.

Although the event is based in Peel and the west about 40 artists will participate from all over the island.

There will be exhibitions and demonstrations at a variety of venues many artists will be opening their studios to the public.

Shops, galleries, boards of commissioners, churches, pubs and museums will be acting as venues for the various activities.

Terry Cringle, who compiles our nostalgia section, includes a great photo of one of the old Steam Packet boats battling the Irish Sea in today’s Examiner.

It’s one of the great features in the Examiner, which has changed its publication day from this week.

From now on, the island’s favourite paper will be in the shops from Tuesday morning.

A 30-metre section of sea wall on Ramsey’s Mooragh Promenade and part of the wall of Douglas’s sunken gardens were two of the casualties from yesterday’s flooding.

At high tide on Monday, waves again crashed over on to roads and promenades around the island’s coasts.

It was the third time in four days that the island was hit by a combination of a big spring tide and strong winds.

Other damage involved the railings on the Broadway side of the war memorial in Douglas.

In Castletown, a barrier was erected between Back Hope Street and Hope Street to reduce the impact of flooding.

Department of Infrastructure maintenance manager Alan Hardinge said the barrier had been a success – with water not entering any properties.

He said that DoI staff had spent the day maintaining the road closures on a number of coast roads, handing out sandbags to properties and businesses, and later on, starting the clear up operation.

Kirsty Pendlebury of the Met Office, based at Ronaldsway, said high tide in the capital on Monday afternoon was 8.1 metres. It was 8.2 metres on Saturday.

As the Examiner went to press, she said Met Office staff were keeping an eye on the emerging weather conditions for Wednesday.

Further picture, page 16.

The Ben-my-Chree’s sailing tonight (Tuesday, February 4) from Douglas to Heysham has been cancelled due to forecast bad weather.

The 2.15am return will obviously not sail either.

The Steam Packet says that, on the current forecast, tomorrow’s 8.45am and 2.15pm sailings should go ahead as scheduled provided there is no further deterioration in the weather.

{http://www.steam-packet.com/LatestSailings|Click her for the latest from the Steam Packet.}

A Castletown man has appeared in court charged with murder and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Ian Anthony Anderson, aged 45, is charged with the murder of Neil Roberts, aged 60 of Ballabeg.

Mr Roberts’ body was found at 40 Queen Street in Castletown, the home address of Mr Anderson.

Mr Anderson also faces a second charge of causing actual bodily harm to Alison Anderson.

Pleas have yet to be entered.

The case was adjourned until February 25 at 10am.

No application for bail was made and Mr Anderson was remanded in custody.

An Isle of Man teacher has been sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison after being found guilty by a jury of one rape and 10 sexual assaults.

Davoud Taghinejad who was employed at the Isle of Man college committed the offences against the girls aged between 13 and 17 who he taught maths to privately at his home in Douglas.

The 58-year-old was convicted on Friday after a two-week trial, having entered a not guilty plea last July. The jury took only around four hours to reach its verdict.

For the rape, Taghinejad was sentenced to nine years and for the sexual assaults he received a further six years. His name is to be placed indefinitely on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

On his release his licence period will be extended by five years during which he will be subject to further restrictions.

He will also be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order restricting his contact with young people under 18.

Passing sentence, Deemster Alastair Montgomerie praised the victims for coming forward and the way in which they had conducted themselves during the trial.

Consumer watchdogs are warning the Manx public to beware of two more scams.

The Office of Fair Trading says that, in spite of previous warnings, some pepple are still being caught by scammers advertising pets online.

A local resident responded to an advert on Facebook for a free, English bulldog pup.

The owner told her he lived in Wales but would transport the animal via a pet courier service which would cost £190.

The funds were paid via Western Union.

The seller then made contact again to advise that an insurance deposit of £500 was required and that the puppy was ready to go.

The person who wanted to buy it was unable to afford this but the seller persisted, offering alternatives to obtain further funds. The purchaser has contacted Western Union and the original funds had been collected.

An OFT spokesman said: ‘If you are interested in an animal advertised in this way please check carefully what is being offered.

‘Visit the seller and view the animal yourself. Do not pay any money up front – if you cannot collect the animal yourself arrange and pay for transport costs directly with a carrier.

Andrea Tabb, advice centre manager, added: ‘Scammers are preying on our soft-heartedness and sometimes these animals are advertised as being homeless because the owner can no longer look after them.

‘It is understandable that pet lovers want to give them a good home but this makes them vulnerable to being scammed.’

Another scam involves driving licences.

Some people have received text messages or emails regarding driving licences which are due for renewal.

The messages claim to be from the DVLA in the UK but this is not the case nor are they affiliated to the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure’s vehicle licensing office.

A local resident was asked to give his passport details and also bank details so an alleged refund could be made to him.

An OFT spokesman said: ‘Consumers are reminded that if they have any queries about driving licences they should contact the vehicle licensing office on 686687.

‘There are things you can do to protect yourself. The Office has produced a leaflet giving tips on how not to become a victim of a scam and the its consumer advisers are happy to advise consumers who receive what they think is a scam contact. Copies of the leaflet can be obtained from the Office in Lord Street, Douglas, from its website {http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/oft/scamsfactsheetupdateddec2013.pdf|click here} or by telephoning 686500.’

Motorists are being advised not to park vehicles on the seaward side of promenades in Douglas, Castletown, Ramsey, Laxey or Gansey overnight tonight.

Gale to severe gale force southeasterly winds around the time of the high tide at 2.55am are likely to result in large waves breaking at exposed coastal locations.

Vehicles will be at risk from flying debris and should be parked away from vulnerable areas.

Staff from the Department of Infrastructure will begin the clean-up operation as soon as conditions improve in order to alleviate any travel disruption on Wednesday morning.

Douglas-based SMP Partners has announced that Manx Cancer Help has been nominated its charity of the year in 2014.

Staff were asked to choose which charity would benefit from a range of fundraising efforts during the next 12 months and the charity, which offers support to anyone affected by cancer, won the vote.

The charity has already received a boost from SMP Partners with the donation of £7,370 raised at a Venetian-style masquerade ball held in early January.

Prizes for the raffle and auction were donated by 38 local and UK based firms.

SMP Partners, a corporate and trust services provider, has many activities planned for the year ahead to help raise money for Manx Cancer Help and awareness of the work the charity does.

The announcement of Manx Cancer Help as Charity of the Year continues a relationship which began in 2013, when SMP sponsored the launch of the charity’s 30th anniversary celebrations and co-sponsored the May Ball, both attended by Manx Cancer Help patrons James Toseland and Katie Melua.

Mark Denton, managing director of SMP Partners, said: ‘Manx Cancer Help does such wonderful work on the Isle of Man and we are very pleased to be associating ourselves with the charity in 2014. Our staff are looking forward to getting involved with a range of events and through their efforts hope to be able to make a real difference to the charity.’

Manx Cancer Help celebrated its 30th anniversary year in 2013 and is always looking to grow and improve its range of services in line with the needs of those affected by cancer. It has a team of staff who offer psychological, emotional and physical support which complement any medical treatment being given.

Fundraising Events Co-ordinator Ally Martin, said: ‘We are so grateful that SMP Partners has chosen us as charity of the year and delighted by the success of the masquerade ball. We hope to continue to grow our services so we can offer the best level of support possible to anyone who needs us.’

Photograph: Manx Cancer Help fundraising events co-ordinator Ally Martin receives a donation of £7,370 from Mark Denton, managing director of SMP Partners, which has selected Manx Cancer Help as charity of the year for 2014.

It is too early to give definite figures on the cost that Manx taxpayers will bear when the island hosts a big Commonwealth conference in 2018.

Last week, it was announced that the Isle of Man was to host the 2018 Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth.

Speaker of the House of Keys Steve Rodan and Clerk of Tynwald Roger Phillips have just returned from the 22nd CPSOC plenary in Wellington, New Zealand.

More than 50 Commonwealth Speakers and presiding officers were among the 180 delegates who attended the conference at Wellington’s Parliament Buildings last month.

Asked about the cost to the island, Mr Phillips told the Examiner: ‘The Isle of Man will cover the cost of local transport and some entertainment, but it is too early to give any definite figures.

delegates

‘Part of the overall calculations of the final cost to the taxpayer will involve assessing how much delegates bring onto the island, although this conference is not aimed at making a profit.’

The conference meets every two years in a venue offered by one of the members of the organisation.

Mr Phillips said: ‘This is the first time that an observer country has been chosen to host the conference.

‘As such, it represents an important opportunity to show the island to some of the most prominent politicians and opinion formers in the Commonwealth – and indeed, in the world.

‘The Isle of Man successfully hosted a smaller meeting of the organisation’s standing committee (its governing body) in 2011.

‘The offer was made by the two presiding officers of Tynwald and the House of Keys, after consulting the Tynwald Management Committee and the Council of Ministers.

‘The choice of the Isle of Man represents an important vote of confidence in the island by the organisation, the leading members of which were here in 2011. It represents an acceptance of the island as an equal partner country, notwithstanding its size.

‘The conference will be a unique opportunity for the island to show itself in its true light as a successful small independent community which is an excellent place to do business of all kinds.

‘It will emphasise its stability and adherence to the rule of law.’

No firm plans have yet been made about the date for the conference. That will have to be arranged in consultation with the organisation’s standing committee.

Raising the top rate of income tax to help rebalance public finances will be very much a last resort, Chief Minister Allan Bell insisted.

His comments came as public condemnation continued over the planned introduction of a £50 a household ‘toilet tax’.

Mr Bell insisted there was no alternative if sewerage infrastructure projects are to be funded in future.

He said he was not at all surprised at the reaction to the flat rate charge which he concedes is unfair as it has a disproportionate impact on those on lower incomes – and he said he could not rule out further new or increased charges in future.

But he added: ‘A point I’ve raised in CoMin [Council of Ministers] is that we have to bear in mind the cumulative impact of all these extra charges and we have to make sure that doesn’t fall on those least able to pay.’

So wouldn’t raising income tax rates be fairer than bringing in a raft of extra charges that could be viewed as stealth taxes?

He replied: ‘This is always something that at some point will have to be considered but it is absolutely a last resort. If income tax goes out of line with our competitors there’s only one way that’s going to go – it will have an impact on our competitiveness. It’s the same with corporate tax.’

Top rate income tax was last increased – from 18 per cent to 20 per cent – in April 2010.

Mr Bell said the Council of Ministers, through Treasury, is currently looking at ways to make the new sewerage charge fairer, perhaps through means-testing or rate rebates. ‘We are not in a position yet to say what that mitigation might be. Whatever mitigation we identify is unlikely to be brought in before the next financial year,’ he said.

After a number of false starts, the island should get a Freedom of Information Act by the first quarter of next year.

Chief Minister Allan Bell blamed a shortage of legislative drafters for delays in introducing the legislation to the branches of Tynwald.

He announced that a public consultation on a draft Freedom of Information Bill will begin next Monday (February 10) and will run for six weeks.

Mr Bell said that, depending on the outcome of the consultation, the aim was to introduce the Bill for its first reading in the House of Keys before the summer recess and to then have the second and third reading debates in October and November.

‘If we can keep to that timetable, Royal Assent should be through by the first quarter of next year,’ he said. ‘This a clear sign of my commitment to deliver on a promise made when I first became Chief Minister that we would bring in Freedom of Information. There have been a number of false starts but there has been good reason for that with an absence of legislative drafters.’

He described it as ‘wide ranging and complex legislation’. ‘It’s a big Bill and we need to get it right,’ he said. Mr Bell said the consultation will help to clarify the cost to government of introducing FOI.

But he said some may have unrealistic expectations about what it will deliver as there will still be exemptions relating to personal privacy, commercial confidentiality and national interest.

He said since the current non-statutory code came in 17 years ago, there have only been 11 complaints of information wrongly withheld, of which four were upheld.

Douglas law firm M&P Legal has added a newly qualified advocate to its ranks to boost its dispute resolution department

Victoria Murphy trained in the Isle of Man and was formally admitted as an advocate at a ceremony before His Honour Deemster Doyle.

She completed the final part of her legal training with M&P Legal.

Victoria graduated from Manchester University where she studied not only English law but also spent an academic year in Dijon, France, at the University of Bourgogne studying French law.

Victoria returned to work in France in Amiens in 2010 and obtained an internship at the Official Centre of Information for the European Union in France.

Victoria is fluent in French and has some German and Italian language skills as well.

As a fully qualified Isle of Man advocate Victoria intends to specialise in dispute resolution work and will conduct a wide range of such work including personal injury, private client disputes and employment law matters.

Victoria’s namesake (but no relation) Christopher Murphy, joint managing director and principal for the final stage of Victoria’s Articles of Clerkship welcomed the addition of Victoria to the team.

He said: ‘Victoria has a fantastic CV and has gained some very useful life experience by spending a year abroad as part of her legal studies.

‘The daily practice of law demands not only academic intelligence but many other facets including life skills, people skills and commercial skills.

‘Victoria exhibits these attributes in abundance and we are very pleased to have her join the firm.’

Victoria said she was very proud to have been admitted as an Isle of Man advocate.

‘I completed the post graduate diploma in legal practice at Chester in July 2008 and I have gained valuable experience since that time.

‘Qualifying as a Manx advocate is a demanding exercise and I am very pleased and proud to have completed the necessary training and to have the privilege of being admitted to the Isle of Man bar.

‘I am really happy to be with a respected and well regarded practice such as M&P Legal and look forward to gaining further valuable legal experience with the dispute resolution team here.’

l M&P Legal is a mid-sized commercial legal practice recognised and recommended for its professional services in the Legal 500 and Chambers directories, with offices opposite the Isle of Man High Court in Buck’s Road, Douglas.

New government statistics confirm that public sector workers earn more on average than those who work in the private sector.

The Treasury’s annual earnings survey has found that average pay for full-time employees rose by 1.3 per cent, to £620 per week (the equivalent of an annual salary of £32,240), between June 2012 and June 2013.

The average person in the public sector earned £676, while in the private sector that figure was £608.

Public sector workers also worked shorter hours. On average, they were at work for 37 hours, compared with 39 hours in the private sector.

Male public sector manual workers earned £581, compared with £499 in the private sector.

Their equivalents in non-manual jobs earned £838 (public) and £770 (private).

For women, manual workers earned £552 (public) and £399 (private). For non-manual women the figures were £620 (public) and £582 (private).

Public sector workers tend to be older than private sector workers.

Statistics in the UK, where the public sector workers also earn more, reveal that around 15 per cent of employees in the private sector are aged 16 to 24 compared with around 5 per cent of employees in the public sector – and around 44 per cent of public sector workers are aged 35 to 49 compared with around 38 per cent of private sector workers.

In the UK, the Office for National Statistics says that earnings tend to increase with age in both the public sector and the private sector.

Assuming the same sorts of conditions apply for the Isle of Man, that might be part of the explanation of why there is a difference.

However, one reason posited in the UK for public sector earning more than private sector, that a lot of manual jobs have been contracted out, would have less effect in the Isle of Man, which has not gone through that process in such a comprehensive programme of privatisation.

Overall, manual workers worked longer hours on average than non-manual. For men the figures were 39.2 hours for manual and 37.1 for non-manual. For women the figures were 37.2 and 35.8.

Meanwhile, the statistics also show that pay rises for Manx workers are not keeping pace with the UK.

And the amount of disposable income for people in the island is falling because average pay increases are lower than inflation.

Manx average earnings across the whole economy rose less than in the UK (1.3 per cent compared with 2.2 cent) to now stand at exactly the same as the UK figure.

The annual rate of inflation in the Isle of Man, as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI), showed an increase in December to 2.9 per cent up from 2.5 per cent in November.

The annual rate shown by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which excludes mortgage interest payments and household expenditure such as buildings insurance and is the measure the UK government tends to use, was 1.5 per cent in December 2013 compared with 1.2 per cent in November.

While people in the Isle of Man might pay less income tax than those in the UK, the question of whether people here have more disposable income than those across the water is determined by what they spend their money on.

Rent, fuel and food tend to be more expensive in the Isle of Man on average than in the UK and poorer people are likely to spend more, as a proportion of their income, on those basics than richer people.

They are being hit twice because inflation for rent and food is far outstripping the general rate of inflation.

So poorer people in work are more likely to be feeling the economic squeeze in the island than richer people.

Among other results were that median earnings (the earnings level which half of the full-time workforce exceeds) fell by 1.5 per cent to £504 (£26,208 per year).

This statistic removes the distorting effect of the super-rich on the average figure and suggests that, since average wages have risen but median ones have fallen, the gap between the rich and poor must be widening.

The median figures also show a greater disparity between the incomes of Manx people and those in the UK.

Overall, the median weekly wage for the Isle of Man is £504.11, while in the UK it was £517.50. For men, the figures are £531.47 (Isle of Man) and £556 (UK) and for women they’re £480 (Isle of Man) and £458.80 (UK), so Manxwomen are better off the UK women, but Manxmen are poorer than UK men.

That was also borne out when looking at averages.

While a man in the island earns £658.13 on average in a week, in the UK the figure is £676.70.

The figures for females are £562.20 in the island and £532.90 for the UK.

There was a slight widening of wage differences between the sexes, with the rates of average weekly earnings between males and females changing from 115.4 per cent in 2012 to 115.7 per cent.

Female average earnings are at 105.5 per cent of those of the UK.

Split into different sectors, the average male weekly wage varied from £432 in distributive trades, restaurants and hotels to £853 in financing, insurance and business services.

The figures were worked out after a sample of employees was drawn at the economic affairs division of the Treasury from income tax records and a questionnaire sent out to the last known employer of each of the selected employees.

Gross earnings were split into basic pay, overtime pay, incentive payments and shift and other payments.

The information related to the pay period including June 11, 2013.

The Treasury approached 35 public sector employers, all of which took part in the survey, and 707 private sector employers, 700 of which took part.

The UK figures relate to April rather than June and are subject to revision.

Manx Telecom has confirmed it will start trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange from 8am next Monday, as revealed in last week’s Manx Independent.

The company intends to raise £156.3 million by floating on the junior arm of the Stock Exchange.

The Aim flotation follows a fully underwritten and oversubscribed share placing expected to raise £89.2m with shares being sold at 142p each.

Manx Telecom said it will use the proceeds to repay all of its outstanding debt and loan notes ‘ensuring a strong balance sheet structure to support the future growth of the business.’

Existing shareholders, HgCapital Partners and CPS Partners, are expected to receive £67.2m in return for selling out of the company.

Mike Dee, Manx Telecom Plc’s chief executive officer, said: ‘The IPO (initial public offering) will be a new chapter for Manx Telecom as a fully independent quoted company.

‘We are delighted with the interest received from institutional investors during the marketing exercise which will provide a solid and supportive shareholder base for the future. The oversubscription for the shares is testament to the quality and hard work of our employees, and I would like to thank all of our people for their tireless commitment.’

Legal eagle Nick Verardi has spoken of the challenge of going to a new job in the Isle of Man.

Nick is one of the leading lights of the island’s financial centre.

He told Business News the ‘easy option’ would have been to remain at Appleby where he is head of the corporate and commercial practice group.

He revealed he was approached by Dan Craddock over a leading position at Bramden Investments.

He will be leaving for Bramden, where he will be a director, at the beginning of April. It is just up the road from Appleby’s base in Athol Street, Douglas, and is in Capital House on Circular House.

Nick, 45, originally from Manchester, is married to Manxwoman Zoe Comaish. He has a daughter Emily who is aged 14, and they live in Gansey.

Asked why he has decided to leave Appleby Mr Verardi said: ‘First of all it was a very difficult decision on my part.

‘I’ve been in a privileged position here at Appleby. I’m an equity partner here with a lot of responsibility as local corporate head. But also I sit on the strategic board of Appleby of which there are five elected members deciding on the strategy of Appleby and its business over the 12 different jurisdictions that Appleby operates in.

‘So I’m in a great position. However I’ve been qualified now for 20 years and it just felt that, looking forward I was uncertain whether there would be enough challenges ahead. I think it is fair to say that I’ve been instrumental in the growth and success of Appleby, not least when we merged from Dickinsons to Appleby.

‘I just felt, was I going to achieve the same sort of momentum in the next 10 to 15 years? And I felt probably not so.

‘The opportunity that arose at Bramden will set me a new challenge and it is what I am looking for.’

Appleby employs 150 people in the Isle of Man and 800 people around the world in 12 different jurisdictions.

‘Bramden is smaller than that, they employ 25 people in the island at the moment and hope to get that up by the end of the year to about 40. And in the rest of the world they employ 70 people andglobally hope to get that up to 110 by the end of this year.

‘My specific role will be to head up the DLA Group which is the family office of an ultra high net worth individual on the island, Dan Craddock.

‘Bramden is an Isle of Man based equity based business.’

Nick, who specialises in corporate and commercial law, and went to school at King William’s College said there had been many highlights over the years including business visits to places such as Hong Kong, Cayman, Bermuda, BVI, Moscow and Tel Aviv.

A lot of his work has involved mergers and acquisitions as well as general corporate and insurance.

Nick has 22 lawyers working for him at Appleby where a typical working week for him is 60 hours.

He is a former president of the island’s Chamber of Commerce and he has always taken a keen role in encouraging young people to get involved in the business.

He told Business News: ‘I’m leaving on very good terms. I’m a close friend of the firm (Appleby) and I’m sure I will be passing work their way in the future.

‘I leave at the endof the financial year after serving six months notice.’

Nick added: ‘At Appleby we are fortunate to have a stong team of talented people rising up through the ranks.

‘Appleby Isle of Man remains the largest legal and fiduciary business in the island with more than 35 lawyers and 30 fiduciary staff.’

He described Bramden as an island based private equity firm with a ‘refreshingly different approach to investment.’

He said Bramden’s history lies in start-up ventures and typically look for investments in the £50-200 million bracket..

Bramden is a majority shareholder in Vannin Capital, a specialist litigation funding provider which assists businesses, insolvency practitioners and law firms by offering a funding solution to the costs of running commercial litigation disputes.

In under three years Vannin Capital has become the world’s largest private equity backed Litigation Funder, handling litigation in 15 different countries with over £5.8bn of quantum under management.

Nick’s place will be taken at Appleby by Faye Moffett, a leading banking and finance practitioner.

Faye also leads the Banking and Asset Finance team in the Isle of Man.

A qualified Isle of Man advocate, Faye joined Appleby in 2004 as an associate before becoming a partner in February 2006.

She specialises in banking and finance transactions, including property finance, aircraft and ship finance matters. She has particular experience in providing opinions on Isle of Man companies and on cross-border security and insolvency issues and has been recognised as a ‘Leader in her Field’ by Chambers UK, The Legal 500 UK and PLC Which Lawyer.

Sean Dowling, managing partner of Appleby (Isle of Man) LLC said: Faye is taking over the responsibility of leading the Isle of Man Corporate and Commercial group from Nick Verardi.

‘I would like to take the opportunity to thank Nick for his enormous contribution to the success and growth of Appleby to date. While it is sad to see good friends leave, Nick does so with our warmest wishes.’

He added: ‘Faye is highly respected in her field and I welcome her expertise and leadership of the team in our Isle of Man office.

‘She will ensure the practice group in the Isle of Man continues to offer outstanding quality of service in corporate and commercial matters to clients both in the Isle of Man and internationally.’

The island’s Data Protection Supervisor has raised concerns over parents’ consent to social services referrals and assessments.

But Iain McDonald’s claims at a Tynwald scrutiny committee were rejected at the same hearing by the head of safeguarding in the Department of Social Care who suggested he was ‘offering opinions outside the remit of his professional role’.

The Social Affairs Police Review Committee heard in July last year that social services had been swamped with referrals about potential abuse cases under the now abandoned Every Child Matters agenda, with 959 referrals in one year to children’s social care leading to just 60 cases of abuse registered.

Mr McDonald told the committee he had two main issues. The first concerned parents’ consent to referrals to social services.

He said such referrals, where they are not child protection cases, required consent of the families which legally had to be freely given. On the referral documents there is a tick box indicating whether the family has given its consent but Mr McDonald said he was recommending the documents should be changed so that parents actually sign to say they had given their consent.

He said the second issue had come as a surprise to him and concerned assessments. ‘Assessments are not mandatory. Are the parents told that these assessments are voluntary,’ he told the committee. Mr McDonald said parents can withdraw their consent at any time.

Committee member Steve Rodan, whose questions in Tynwald and the House of Keys had prompted Mr McDonald to investigate the issue, asked: ‘Why in your view is it so important for initial assessments to be voluntary and consent could be possibly be withheld?’

The witness replied: ‘It’s what the law says. As it stands we have a consent-based system.’ He said he had parents in his office over whom he had feared for their health as control over the future of their family appeared to have been taken out of their hands.

Mr Rodan said of 701 initial assessments, 177 had been instigated for child protection concerns, leaving at least 500 which required consent.

But head of safeguarding Deborah Brayshaw suggested Mr McDonald was offering opinions outside his remit and some of his concerns were inaccurate.

She said the department has statutory powers to intervene without consent on occasion but she admitted it was ‘not good’ at recording specific consent. She said referral documents had now been changed and a new leaflet would give advice to parents on their rights over consenting to assessments. She insisted rates of referrals were comparable with the UK.

A plan has been submitted (14/00069/B) for the removal of the existing telephone kiosk and concrete base at Cregneash.

The decision to remove the ‘iconic example of design’ has dismayed Manx National Heritage.

The box is one of six in the island earmarked by Manx Telecom for closure and removal because the annual revenue in each was less than £10.

If local authorities were prepared to take over their upkeep, at an average cost of £585 a year, the phone boxes would stay.

Rushen Parish Commissioners decided they ‘could not justify spending rate payers’ money on keeping the phone box there (in Cregneash),’ said commissioners’ clerk Gill Kelly.

The other possible source of financing the phone in Cregneash was Manx National Heritage, but they said as an organisation in the heritage sector partially financed by government, it is not in a position to fund payphone maintenance.

‘We had hoped Manx Telecom (MT) might reconsider their removal policy in this case; the phone box at Cregneash is an iconic example of design in a prominent and extraordinary location with much public appreciation and lots of exposure - visitors per annum around 80,000 to The Sound and circa 20,000 to Cregneash,’ said Cregneash site manager Helen Ashcroft.

‘We are therefore very sorry to hear that MT is also unable to maintain the booth and are applying for planning permission for it to be taken away. Ideally the booth would be kept in place for its intended and current purpose; an operational payphone. It is with regret that lifestyles and technology have made them obsolete and the ability to subsidise them by private industry, local government and the national government has become economically unviable.’
She added MNH has currently no intention of objecting to the plan, but is happy to share its opinion with the planning committee.

‘The Meayll Peninsular, including Cregneash is recognised and protected by statute for its cultural and national importance to the island’s heritage which excludes any permitted development within the area. MNH are happy to help inform the planning process and eagerly await the outcome.’

Of the pay phones earmarked for removal in the south, Malew is the only local authority that will pay for the upkeep of the kiosk at Derbyhaven (at £300 per annum) because of its possible emergency use.

Nearly a quarter of a million pounds was paid out in bonuses to government staff last year.

But the figure of £234,762 for the year ending December 31 is nearly £100,000 down on the £330,708 paid out in bonuses in 2010.

The figures were revealed in a written reply by Chief Minister Allan Bell to a House of Keys question from Onchan MHK Zac Hall.

Mr Bell explained that bonus payments to members of staff are made where there is provision within the terms and conditions of a particular employment group.

There is no such provision with Civil Service Regulations in respect of bonus payments and so such payments are not made to members of the Civil Service.

Mr Bell said bonus payments are not normally subject to Treasury approval unless there is an express requirement to do so. He said it was a matter for the collective bargaining bodies and employing authorities to determine the appropriateness of using bonus schemes to incentivise and or reward staff performance.

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