The annual World Championship Viking Longboat Races took place in Peel on Sunday after the weather forced Saturday’s planned event to be postponed.

Strong onshore winds put the event back a day but it still attracted 64 teams out 79 who had planned to row on Saturday.

In the men’s event, Farghers Lift Men were the champions with Central Young Farmers in second place and Southern Young Farmers taking third.

Central Young Farmers went one better in the ladies’ event beating Northern Young Farmers into second place with ‘Puck3r up Fellas’ in the third.

In the mixed competition ‘Raven Raiders’ came out on top with ‘Western Vikings Minions’ in second and ‘Western Vikings’ coming third.

Central Young Farmers Ladies were crowned overall World Champions.

Organiser Jimmy Lee said: ‘The races were held in bright sunshine and calm conditions with the competitors and visitors to Peel making the most of the good weather.

‘The event was run in association with RL360 and Manx Radio with additional support from our other partners Heron and Brearley and Promenade T-shirts.

‘We’d like to thank all our sponsors for their continuing support and all of the helpers who made the day run smoothly.

‘Also a big thank you to the western neighbourhood policing team who were very patient and supportive in all our decisions to delay the races.’

A new member is to join the Council of Ministers.

Castletown MHK Richard Ronan has been appointed as the new Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister.

Old hand Phil Gawne (Rushen) takes over at the Department of Infrastructure, while Laurence Skelly gets the big job at the Department of Economic Development.

The reshuffle has come after John Shimmin resigned from Economic Development over the Sefton loans affair.

Mr Shimmin (Douglas West) left the Council of Ministers 13 days ago.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/shimmin-falls-on-his-sword-after-all-1-6684450|Click here for a reminder of that story.}

Chief Minister Allan Bell made the announcement about the ministerial shake-up late this morning..

Mr Skelly, who succeeds John Shimmin MHK, had more than two years’ experience as a member of the Department of Economic Development before his appointment as Minister for Infrastructure in March this year.

Mr Skelly is succeeded as Minister for Infrastructure by Phil Gawne MHK, who moves from his role as Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture.

Mr Gawne is returning to the Department of Infrastructure having been Minister there in 2010 and 2011.

Joining the Council of Ministers as successor to Mr Gawne as Minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture, where he has been a member, is Richard Ronan MHK.

The Chief Minister said: ‘As I have said before, it is vital that we maintain continuity and momentum in developing the island’s economy so it is good that the new Minister at Economic Development is someone with recent and significant experience as a member of the department.

‘Mr Gawne too is returning to a Department of which he has previous experience, so he understands the background of many of the issues that Infrastructure is dealing with.

‘Mr Ronan has shown dedication and commitment working for Government in a number of roles, and I am pleased to welcome him as a new member of the Council of the Ministers.’

Policy and Reform Minister Chris Robertshaw MHK told Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce members that the challenge for Government is not about preparing for the next General Election, but to provide a secure future for the island’s next generation.

Mr Robertshaw, speaking at the Chamber’s AGM luncheon, said that the island was facing ‘huge challenges’ to its long-term sustainability.

‘The income we enjoy as a competitive tax jurisdiction is not in sync with our expectations,’ he said.

‘Quite rightly, we have expectations – despite our current difficulties – of good health service, good education and good social welfare.

‘But we also know that we have to remain a competitive jurisdiction for tax purposes.’

He said that great strides were already being made to improve efficiency and reduce red tape – but there are still massive challenges ahead to reduce the size and cost of Government, increase its efficiency further, make it more responsive to the individual, and modernise the welfare state.

The Isle of Man is not alone in needing to achieve these goals, he added – and while it may appear to be a daunting task, the Isle of Man also has an opportunity to pioneer innovative policies which other jurisdictions may one day follow.

The Minister then recounted a recent discussion he had with Jonathan Cruddas MP, the UK Labour Party’s Policy Review Co-ordinator, who indicated, in facing up to its challenges as a large nation state, that there was a growing understanding that smaller jurisdictions and local authorities which are required to balance their books annually against the backdrop of ever more restricted budgets, are coming up with some innovative and exciting ideas and that these developments are being monitored with considerable interest.

The Minister went on to say that the island’s small population and geographical size created opportunities to implement innovative ways to tackle social and economic problems.

‘Yes, there are massive problems and challenges ahead,’ he added, ‘but there are also massive opportunities for us to do something really special in the Isle of Man.’

Jane Dellar, chief executive of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce, thanked the Minister for attending the AGM luncheon and sharing his insights with members.

She welcomed his comments on the need for Government to reduce bureaucracy and improve efficiency, and added: ‘Sometimes in the private sector we like to see things happening a bit quicker, however none of us can fail to be inspired and reassured that this work is well under way, and in very capable hands.’

Before the Minister’s speech, Chamber president Michael Crowe gave a summary of developments in the organisation over the past year, and welcomed Miles Benham and John Watt to the Chamber council.

Both were appointed at the AGM at The Claremont Hotel, Douglas last Wednesday. For more information about Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce go to www.iomchamber.org.im or call 674941.

The Chamber’s office at Athol House, Athol Street, Douglas, is open 9am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday.

This week’s Manx Independent includes a photo of every Year 6 class in the Isle of Man.

Children in Year 6 are in their last year at primary school and aged 10 or 11.

We’ve been printing these specials every year for many years now and know a lot of people keep them as a reminder of their class mates.

The Manx Independent is in the shops first thing tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

Developer Dandara has received planning permission to build 144 more houses in Peel, between Poortown Road and Queen Elizabeth II High School, east of Reayrt Ny Cronk.

The plan for the new houses has caused controversy in the past with Peel Commissioners lodging an appeal and one commissioner, Ian Davison, calling it the ‘rape and pillage of Peel’.

Commissioners chairman, Ray Harmer, says that they will now discuss whether to put in another appeal at their next board meeting tonight (Tuesday).

Mr Davison said: ‘My only concerns are that more houses are being built in Peel, however the infrastructure is still years behind and is not keeping pace with the number of new residents coming to Peel.

‘No sewage treatment in place until possibly 2020, week and two-week waits to see a doctor, schools nearing full capacity, and cuts to the three main services, health, education and policing, do we really think Peel cope with any more houses?

‘They are apparently using the two QEll school fields as part of their open spaces requirement for the development to proceed.

‘The Reayrt ny Cronk development might have been successful.

‘However the way the estate is laid out, with a higgledy piggledy mix and match of properties, in my opinion looks a mess, and lacks the thought that went into Ballawattleworth.

‘The few extra swings is the only thing Peel has got from this developer besides a huge grass cutting bill.’

A Dandara spokesman said: ‘The planning authority has granted approval to the scheme on a site adjoining the successful Reayrt ny Cronk development.

‘It will include a wide mix of dwelling types, including affordable housing, as well as several areas of public open space and an extension to the existing children’s playground in Reayrt ny Cronk.

‘We undertook extensive consultation with interested parties prior to the submission of the application, including with officers of the Department of Education who raised no objection to the scheme.’

According to government census figures, Peel’s population rose from 3,785 in 2001 to 5,093 in 2011.

The number of pupils at the QEII in 2004 was 849 and had only risen to 855 by the start of the 2013/14 academic year.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said: ‘The substantial house-building programme that began in Peel in around 2002 has had only a gradual, rather than dramatic, impact on the number of students attending Queen Elizabeth II High School, and this has been mitigated by the school enforcing catchment regulations.

‘The school is able to predict rolls several years ahead because of the number of pupils coming through its partner primary schools.

‘There are occasionally “spikes”, but these are partly down to the birth rate, and the school can plan for these well in advance.’

There will be additional bus services to St John’s on Monday, July 7, for this year’s Tynwald Day ceremony and festivities.

Most services are operating a bank holiday schedule on the the day but there are more buses on routes to St John’s from Douglas, Peel, Ramsey, Port Erin and Castletown – on services 5, 5A, 6, 6A and 8C.

All extra journeys between Douglas and Peel or Ramsey are operating as service 5A and do not serve Noble’s Hospital or Strang. Buses will divert via The Hope when the main road through St John’s is closed.

Detailed Tynwald Day schedules can be found on Bus Vannin’s website at www.iombusandrail.info.

Bank holiday schedules for other services can also be found online.

Junior Achievement has appointed Sally Drinkwater as corporate and community fundraiser.

Manx-born Sally, 28, a former Castle Rushen High School student now living in Port Erin holds a degree in music from the University of Huddersfield and a Masters in music management from the University of Sheffield.

She began her working life in London, with BBC Proms and then the Southbank Centre, before a move to Leeds saw her working on an initiative that uses music making to transform the lives of young people and their surrounding communities.

Sally said: ‘The career opportunities I’ve had in England have given me a passion for working with young people and making sure everyone has the chance to reach their potential.’

Sally is eager to hear from businesses and community supporters on any new ideas.

Contact Sally at sally.drinkwater@jaiom.im or call 666266.

Whittle Jones has applied (14/00743/B) to vary conditions of the planning consent to redevelop the former Grand Island Hotel site in Ramsey.

Approval for 35 flats arranged in five blocks was granted in July 2013.

One condition was for the use to be taken up within four years.

In the application it states it is ‘unreasonable and unrealistic for the development to be completed and the use commenced’ within this time.

Instead it wants the condition to be for development to have begun within four years of ‘this decision notice’.

Planners also imposed a condition that none of the flats be occupied until access and parking are in place.

But it says there is far too much risk involved in developing the site as a single phase. It wants to change the wording so each block can be occupied when parking and access for it is in place.

Sixth form students from Ramsey Grammar School have been working with the elderly in the community.

The students are part of the ‘intergenerational scheme’, which works with the secondary schools in the island.

The Live at Home organisation offers the opportunity for students to volunteer to visit the elderly and more isolated members of the community.

The students were presented with certificates after completing a basic training programme.

Pictured is Kerry Palmer, assistant manager for the Northern Live at Home Scheme, with the students.

For further information on this project call 616571.

Picture: JM140624(29)

The Treasury Minister says it’s too early to say whether the island will lose any more VAT revenue.

Eddie Teare was speaking following the publication of the Isle of Man household income and expenditure survey, which will be used to confirm the island’s share of VAT revenue under the Customs and Excise Agreement with the UK.

Provisional figures of £270 million for 2013/14 and £278 million for 2014/15 were agreed.

Mr Teare said: ‘The arrangement with the UK now is we will get exactly the same cash from VAT as we would collect if we operated an identical VAT system to the UK but standing on our own.’

As well as spending by households, expenditure by businesses will also be taken into consideration.

Data from 80 per cent of businesses operating in the island is currently being analysed.

Mr Teare said: ‘I have given an undertaking to Tynwald that I will announce a fiscal strategy as part of next year’s Budget.

‘Getting the VAT share locked in is a key part of that.’

He added: ‘It will give us certainty so we can plan for the future with a much higher degree of certainty.’

The Manx government has lost about a third of income following changes to the VAT revenue sharing arrangements since 2007.

Ten thousand households were selected to take part in the household income and expenditure survey 2012/13, which was conducted by Treasury’s Economic Affairs division and run over a year.

Responses were received from 917 households.

It shows that the proportion of income spent by the average household on food and non-alcoholic beverages has dropped from 25 per cent in 1976/77 to 14 per cent in 2013.

The proportion of household income spent on transport in 2013 was 14 per cent – the same as in 1976/77.

Last year, the average household spent the same proportion of their money – 14 per cent – on food and non-alcoholic drink, as they did on recreation and culture.

A Treasury spokesman said that the results will be used to re-weight inflation indexes – Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Retail Price Index (RPI) – to reflect what people are actually spending money on.

Publication of re-weighted RPI and CPI figures are due in January 2015.

The figures reflect the fact that people have more disposable income than they used to.

Now they spend 8 per cent of income on restaurants and hotels, for example.

Heating, fuel and power has dropped from 21 per cent in 1976/77 to 16 per cent now.

Clothing and footwear has dropped from 7 per cent in 1976/77 to 5 per cent in 2013.

One arguably good sign is that the percentage of income spent on alcohol and tobacco has dropped from 10 per cent to 3 per cent, probably a reflection of the fact that fewer people smoke now.

Download the survey from the government’s website, www.gov.im

Douglas Market Hall will be the venue for Isle of Man College higher education arts courses from September as planned.

That’s the assurance from Douglas Council and Isle of Man College despite quotes to redecorate the interior coming in over budget.

Housing and property advisory committee chairman Councillor David Ashford said: ‘The college is ready to move into the Market Hall in September.

‘In terms of the painting and decorating,the price has come in slightly more than we expected so we are assessing our options for how we move forward.

‘It doesn’t impact on the college moving in. The redecoration job is not crucial to the project.’

From September, the Market Hall will be the base for levels four, five and six fine art and visual communication courses.

And it is hoped that the following year, two new courses – contemporary craft as well as fashion imaging and styling – will be on offer there.

Helen Fox, programme manager for art, design and media at the college, said: ‘It’s the extra cost [to Douglas Council] of scaffolding due to health and safety regulations that have brought the cost out of the allocated budget for the financial year.

‘We are looking now to see if we can still paint it up to where the shutters come down so we don’t have to put scaffolding up.’

She added: ‘It’s not going to stop students coming in from September. They are really excited about moving in.’

The interior will see a big studio space, with a ‘clean’ working area with equipment including computers and a 3D printer, and on the other side space for painting, sculpture, printing, and portable lighting for photography.

A permanent display and exhibition area will be created in between Harry’s Cafe and Michael’s Butcher Shop, which will both remain open.

With support from Douglas Development Partnership, it is hoped the venue will host events such as art markets.

The last stallholder, Phil Smith, who ran a books and records stall for 17 years, left last month after his licence was not renewed.

Mr Ashford said the Market Hall had been in decline for a number of years.

This week’s Manx Independent reveals the results of a Public Accounts Committee investigation, which was leaked to the paper ahead of publication.

It makes grim reading for the Council of Ministers.

This week’s paper also looks at the prom revelopment and hears complaints from Douglas Council leader David Christian about work done by the Department of Infrastructure, or ‘Department of Incompetence’ as he dubs it.

In Ramsey, we find out what’s happening with the work on Parliament Street.

Elswhere in the paper, we report on the inquest into a girl who died in an accident nine months ago and who will be remembered in a service later this week.

The paper asks a union leader for her verdict on the {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/government-considering-charging-for-on-street-parking-1-6680934|Department of Infrastructure’s proposals} to charge people more to recoup money lost in cuts.

We look forward to Tynwald Day next week and review Paul Weller’s concert at the Villa Marina.

Island Life looks at the flower festival and the island’s marine life.

The paper is a must-buy for people with children at primary schools, especially those who are about to go to secondary school.

There’s a photo of every class in that year in the island inside.

Your Manx Independent also includes a seven-day television guide and the Isle of Man’s What’s On guide.

It’s in the shops now.

The Council of Ministers holds its meetings behind closed doors.

There they agitate themselves heroically with troubling things like the Sefton Hotel, the growing hordes of hale and hearty Old Age Pensioners, the next hatchet job by the UK government on our VAT booty, and Peter Karran.

But I hope that at their next meeting the weather will be fine and they can meet outdoors and find something else to think about.

Up in the clear blue sky there will be, as usual, the vapour trails of aircraft all nations flying through Manx national air space without our written consent. It’s time we did something about this.

It’s been going on for years. It’s estimated that there are at least 100 of these heedless jets shooting over us with impunity every 24 hours and they need the sight of the Isle of Man 37,000 feet below as a navigational aid.

We often see that a vapour trail has turned sharply. This is because the First Officer has been hanging out of his window and suddenly he shouts: ‘There it is, skipper. The isle of what’s it. We hang a right here.’

I suppose we could take this up with the responsible UN agency, the International Civil Aviation Organisation. But half the time the UN doesn’t know anything, especially about the Isle of Man. We need to take what is fashionably known as direct action and shoot one of these aircraft down.

Unfortunately there is a problem here. The Manx Regiment, whose trade was to shoot down enemy aircraft, is now down to a handful of veterans and I don’t think they will be up to it any more.

Also, we don’t have any anti-aircraft guns. There are a couple in the Manx Aviation and Military Museum at Ronaldsway, but I doubt if they still work.

What we need are secret weapons which are so secret they don’t actually exist.

We all remember those two B’s, Blair and Bush, taking Britain and America into an invasion of Iraq by alleging, while giggling behind their hands, that the late president Saddam Hussein was threatening world peace with his WMD (weapons of mass destruction), of which there were actually none.

What the Isle of Man has to do is persuade world leaders that we have WMD and we are not afraid to use them on what we consider to be enemy aircraft.

That’s right. Weapons of Manx Destruction.

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‘Sean’ – that’s all – emails about my plan for spending my old age in the comfort of the Jurby Jug instead of a care home by committing a murder. He points out that I wouldn’t be inside for the rest of my life. I would eventually be eligible for release and ‘it would mean that in your frail years you would be let loose and the thought of you driving around in that little red Mini again at that age and mental ability scares the wits out of me’.

Now there’s a chap I could murder, if I could find out who he is.

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Helen Byrne tells me she has her milk delivered to her in two-pint cartons twice a week and on them are the words: ‘Pasteurised Skimmed Milk, Product of the Isle of Man. Contains Cow’s Milk.’

She adds: ‘What should we expect it to contain?’

In this case I’m sure it is cow’s milk. But the food industry in general being what it is these days I wouldn’t ask that kind of question in relation to lots of products.

You might not like the answer.

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Sara Goodwins of Loaghtan Books has just taken delivery of a box of Jiffy bags to use in sending books to customers.

The despatch note/invoice lists the business as being at ‘Dreemskerry, Maughold, Scottish Highlands.’

Hang on a jiffy . . .

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Geoff Kerrison has discovered more Beatles songs for the Manx audience, as follows:

‘Love Love Me Doolish’

‘Penny Caine’

‘Kaighin the USSR’

‘I Peel Fine.’

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This week’s Manx crossword clue from Karl Campbell is from the Times Cryptic: Person from France and not one of the British Isles (6) – Norman

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Church notice: ‘The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.’

This week, IoM Friends of the earth’s Cat Turner talks to Steve Brown, MD of Stroma NX, about why - and how - the company is helping individuals and businesses to take responsibility for cutting their own energy and heating bills, for their good and the island’s

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You hear a lot in the Green Column about why people might want to cut their energy usage – whether it’s from the financial perspective (cutting bills), or the ethical (taking care of the environment we live in and being responsible tenants on planet earth).

But as important as the ‘why’, is the ‘how’.

This week, I heard from Castletown-based Stroma NX Limited, a business which aims to help people – both home-owners and commercial organisations – manage their energy consumption for heat and cooling, one of the most expensive aspects of any building.

Stroma NX has, over the past few years, significantly increased both its workload and its influence in the island.

Initially, it won contracts within the education sector, where it provides air tightness testing and full energy assessments, including building complex thermal models, on all of the island’s 54 schools – and then establishing a targeted remedial programme.

It did this by ‘benchmarking’ all the properties to, identify all the ‘quick wins’ available – measures making the highest impact of improvement for the least amount of financial outlay.

The results were exceptional. Schools were able to demonstrate significant and clear energy savings, and Stroma NX’s strategy was recognised by the government at the 2012 annual Energy Awards, where it won the Best Practice Award in The Public Sector.

The greatest benefit of this discipline is within the existing housing stock.

The folks at Stroma NX advise that most causes of excessive air leakage aren’t obvious and that until a householder sees the actual air tightness test, it can be hard to believe.

Steve Brown, the amiable and engaging MD, describes the job satisfaction that comes from this aspect of the job: ‘Almost without fail, the epiphany that comes with seeing your property pressurised and the areas of concern so clearly highlighted is a great delight for us to witness.’

He gave me a useful analogy: wouldn’t we all, if faced with it, make immediate repair to a 2ft square hole in our roof?

The effective air leakage area of a huge number of residential properties is of this extent, and often a great deal more.

As a government listed energy efficiency consultant, Stroma NX aims to help local companies understand, and improve, the performance of their premises.

Through the Department of Economic Development’s Business Support Scheme (BSS), they can also help a business to access grant funding for qualifying projects.

What this can mean is funding to cover up to half of the costs of this assessment process.

Once that’s done, a business can then apply for an interest-free ‘green loan’ over four years of up to £20,000 to pay for the remedial and improvement measures, the repayment of which will very often be covered by the savings made.

Well worth exploring, if you want to reduce energy costs, improve your building’s fabric and, for the environmentally-minded, reduce your carbon levels.

It’s pretty easy to see what an enormous impact this process could make on the island as a whole, in terms of reducing our emissions – as well as improving the energy ‘sustainability’ of our little rock.

With a government commitment to reducing our CO2 emissions to a fifth of their 1979 levels by 2050 (the so-called ‘80/50’ target), efforts of this nature need to be encouraged!

Steve points to the heartening fact that in the schools, where its journey began on the island, an acceptance and understanding of the wider implications of social responsibility, self-sufficiency in energy provision and conservation and active enforcement of such strategies are coming through strongly.

‘The children in our schools – our next generation of the island’s decision makers, homeowners and business people – should be applauded, listened to, supported and encouraged,’ he says, adding: ‘The responsibility our generation has is to actively lead by example and be role models wherever we can, in a positive spirit, with good intentions and free of destructive agendas”.

Wise words indeed.

Ramsey National Week, which is now in its 12th year, is again offering a full range of activities for the whole family until Sunday, July 13.

This year the Isle of Man is celebrating being Island of Culture and many of the events will allow people to experience some of wide range of talent in the Isle of Man.

A selection of the events are outlined below:

Saturday will see a ‘food fest’ being staged in the area around the Courthouse with the farmers’ market’ and stalls from other producers and restaurants. There will be entertainment during the day from Onchan Silver Band, Northern Spirit, The Sane and Cliogaree Twoiae .

A Songs of Praise will be held at the Ramsey Lifeboat station at 10.30am on Sunday.

Music will be provided by Ramsey Town Band with Alan Gelling leading the service. The hymns have been chosen by organisations who serve the community including the police, fire service, Ramsey Young People’s Project, St John Ambulance and the ambulance service. A collection will be held for the RNLI.

This year will see the return of ‘Kids at the Courthouse’ with different school groups preforming on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Those who enjoy walking will pleased to see the return of the popular ‘hike and hotdogs (Thursday). Blue Badge guide Marinda Fargher will lead a Ramsey Heritage Town Walk on Tuesday. Joy Brew will be heading West with her popular ‘walk and ride’ on Wednesday.

Ramsey Rocks Street Party on Friday, July 11, will start the final weekend of Ramsey National Week with a bang.

It includes live music, rides, stalls, segways, refreshments and a firework finale at 11pm. West Quay and part of Market Square will be closed to vehicle traffic between 4.30pm and midnight with the Street Party taking place between 7pm and 11pm.

Saturday, July 12, will be a busy day with a number of events taking place:

Ramsey RNLI Lifeboat Association will be holding its Lifeboat Day at the lifeboat station between 10am and 4pm. This will be followed by sand racing on the beach starting around 6pm.

North Ramsey Bowling Club will be hosting the Ramsey Town Cup in the Mooragh Park. In addition the official opening of their new pavilion will be undertaken by Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK at 12 noon. There will be display of vintage cars and a treasure hunt during the day.

A strawberry tea will be held in the grounds of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Queen’s Promenade. Access is via Mona Street.

Ramsey Rotary Club are hosting Sunday Funday in the Mooragh Park on Sunday, July 13, between 12pm and 4pm.

A ‘Photo Scavenge Hunt’ is also being held during the week. Entry forms can be obtained from Ramsey Town Hall or www.ramseynationalweek.com

Full event listings can be found {http://www.ramseynationalweek.com/|here}.

Steven Bevan, chair of the Ramsey National Week Committee, said: ‘We are delighted in this 12th year of Ramsey National Week that we have a programme of events which will have something for everyone.

‘I would like to thank the Ramsey National Week Committee, Ramsey Commissioners, event organisers from other groups and those within the community whose generous support has made it possible to have a varied programme of events.

‘This year will again see many events in the area of Courthouse which provides an ideal setting for the Food Fest being held on July 5 and the various Kids at the Courthouse concerts.

‘We look forward to welcoming everyone to Ramsey as we celebrate our National Week.’

A government spokesman has admitted there are potentially many more public sector employees who could be affected by the loss of free parking than originally suggested.

A civil service insider told iomtoday a large number of employees do in fact receive free car parking and the perk goes way beyond just those who need to use a car as part of their job.

The claim flies in the face of information supplied to iomtoday last week, when a government spokesman said free parking for civil servants in Douglas was largely confined to those in jobs such as planning or environmental health where driving and visiting sites is an integral part of the job.

Infrastructure Minister Laurence Skelly MHK confirmed that many government employees enjoy the benefit of free car parking both around the central government offices and at the Sea Terminal and this was not, after all, restricted to those who needed to drive for their job.

‘There is a considerable amount beyond essential car users and some of the parking space is of high commercial value,’ he said.

‘We do have to look at potential new revenue streams for the government and so far we have had a large number of responses to the consultation and some constructive suggestions made.’

According to the iomtoday correspondent, ‘large swathes’ of employees in Crookall House, from management level down, enjoy free car parking.

For example, he says an entire level at Chester Street car park is occupied by workers at Markwell House,

‘A few are essential car users but the vast majority are lower and middle management level who simply travel to and from work,’ he said.

The same goes for St George’s Court, which has underground parking where most vehicles remain throughout the working day, and also for St Andrew’s House where the majority have no need to drive.

Moreover, the correspondent claims the free parking at the back of the main government offices, once in general use on a first come first serve basis, is now used principally by workers in Treasury, who again do not generally need to drive during the day. The current situation means that some civil servants get free parking, while others have to pay.

The government’s spokesman said all aspects of parking had to form part of the consultation.

‘The DoI consultation is about public transport and parking so it was decided to include the staff parking issue to offer both members of staff and the public the chance to comment.

‘Not all government parking is allocated to essential users though arrangements might have to be made for essential users (in future).’

Mr Skelly also said all options are currently under consideration as part of the consultation which finishes at the end of this month (July). The consultation is to consider different ways for the DOI to save £5 million from its budget.

Car parks are maintained by the DOI though allocation of spaces for government employees is decided by the department they work for. Where there are more government workers in a department than there are spaces available, those in senior posts and those who are essential car users tend to take priority for allocated parking spaces. Others may have to pay for it.

Current charges for contract parking at Chester Street car park in central Douglas are £925 plus VAT per year. Daily charges for periods over four and a half hours are £4.50.

Anyone who gets the benefit is £1,110 a year better off than someone who has to pay for parking themselves. They get it tax free.

In our front page story last week, the Examiner revealed that all government workers could be charged for parking at work premises.

This would not be confined to those working in congested Douglas town centre. It would mean teachers at rural schools, police officers outside police stations, doctors and nurses at the hospital and firefighters at fire stations.

The idea is a suggestion from the Department of Infrastructure, which is trying to raise money to offset £5m cuts.

The cuts have been triggered by changes to the VAT-sharing agreement with the UK.

Those changes mean that the Manx government has one third less income than it had in 2007 before the agreement was first altered.

Among the suggestions from the DoI is that all MHKs and MLCs should pay for their parking places, parking meters on roads in Douglas and the restriction of free bus passes to pensioners, rather giving one to everyone over 60.

The short fall in the financing of regional pools should be covered by local authorities said the Southern Swimming Pool Board (SSPB).

Last month, the government invited the three regional pool boards to a meeting to discuss the future financing of the pools, which are in Castletown, Ramsey and Peel, saying they cost government an unsustainable £1.5m a year.

Port Erin commissioner Nick Watterson, who is the commissioners’ representative on the pool board, told the authority last week, June 24, the SSPB had met on June 19.

The main idea to reduce the cost of pools to government, ‘is to increase the amount on the rates ...we agreed to send it to each authority to come up with ideas and send them back to us,’ he said.

He added the chairman of the SSPB, Adrian Cowin, had taken the idea back to his authority, Arbory Parish Commissioners, who agreed ‘whatever shortfall could be passed on as an additional rate to each authority,’ said Mr Watterson.

He said ideas must be submitted by September, ‘it does not matter how crazy they are,’ he added.

A Castletown man will face trial for murder, starting on Monday, January 26, 2015.

Ian Anthony Anderson, aged 45, of Queen Street, denies murdering Ballabeg man Neil Roberts, who was 60, in December last year.

He also denies a charge of assault against Alison Anderson.

Mr Anderson appeared in court this morning.

No bail application was made and he was remanded in custody.

The trail is expected to take up to five weeks.

Tynwald is to be asked to agree to pay £2.8million for a new custody block at police headquarters in Douglas.

It’s one of the moves the police want to make as part of changes that will ultimately save taxpayers’ money.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/any-more-cuts-to-the-manx-police-could-endanger-public-safety-says-chief-1-6681478|Click here to read our story from last month}.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK will ask members to back the project at the July sitting of Tynwald.

Subject to permission being granted, the development would replace the existing facilities, which the Department of Home Affairs says have reached the end of their operational life after more than 40 years of service.

The scheme is a key part of the department’s strategy to consolidate all Douglas detention facilities into one location.

A press statement suggests this will help to improve efficiency and allow the police to vacate the Lord Street site – freeing it up for potential development.

It also continues the department’s efforts to achieve additional revenue savings through capital investment in its infrastructure.

Mr Watterson said: ‘The new block has become necessary to meet the ever more stringent demands of safer detention. In the modern custody setting, the current facilities have become increasingly unfit for purpose.’

He added: ‘Subject to Tynwald approval, the proposed development will be designed and constructed to the latest specifications for police custody units and provide enhanced facilities for healthcare and legal advisers. This will enable better working practices and remove the need for overflow units to be opened at times of peak demand, reducing staffing costs in terms of overtime requirements.’

If the scheme gets the go-ahead, work on the custody block would start in August 2014, with a scheduled completion date in March 2015.

Education chiefs want to spend £1.4 million finishing off a project to build training facilities at the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education.

Education Minister Tim Crookall MHK believes that creating modern training facilities for construction crafts under one roof at the college will see student numbers and the qualifications on offer expand, boosting the industry.

He will be seeking Tynwald’s approval to spend the final £1.4 million of a £4.9 million capital scheme to improve training facilities in two major areas.

Work on a training base for engineering and motor vehicle engineering at the old water treatment works next to the college in Greenfield Road is progressing well after Tynwald gave it the go-ahead in December.

The final phase of the scheme would create consolidated construction crafts facilities that meet modern training needs in the space that engineering students have vacated.

Painting and decorating, plumbing, joinery, electrical installation and brickwork apprentices now learn their trades in unsatisfactory facilities spread across several locations, the minister said. The scheme would bring trainees together, leading to more joined-up learning and allowing the government to sell off or use the other premises for other purposes.

Mr Crookall said that in the current economic climate, it was vital to ensure strong, home-grown construction and engineering sectors. Modern training facilities would ensure the next generation of tradesmen were fully equipped with the skills they need.

Improved construction crafts facilities would allow the college to offer greater alternatives to students aged 14+ who were not following a traditional academic route, allow the college to grow courses for those aged 16+ not in education, employment or training (Neet) and expand BTec level three and four courses, the growth of which is currently constrained by lack of space and equipment, said the Minister.

‘The new facilities will provide more flexibility and opportunity for staff to develop new skills and enrich the curriculum, expanding training in such areas as renewable energy systems, environmental sustainability and low carbon technologies,’ he said.

‘The college is the island’s exclusive centre for providing national occupational standards and qualifications for construction crafts. The new facilities would greatly enhance the teaching and learning environment and facilitate the curriculum changes of the 21st Century.’

The development would be a ‘real-time’ project for construction crafts apprentices at the College, through involvement with the actual construction works, the Minister said.

The principal contractor and mechanical and electrical sub-contractors will, together, have five apprentices working on the project. A technical level trainee quantity surveyor will also be involved in the project, the Minister added.

If Tynwald gives the go-ahead, NK Construction Ltd would start work on July 28 and have the facilities finished by the end of March 2015.

The new engineering building, housed in the former Water and Sewage Authority filter hall, will be named the William Kennish Building, after the Manx inventor and marine engineer who set out early plans for the Panama Canal, which was opened a century ago. It will take in students from September.

Many critics of the government pounce on schemes like this to moan that new projects are being given money while cuts are being made elsewhere.

The government always retorts that there is a difference between capital expenditure (like the work above) and revenue spending (for day-to-day government spending).

A spokesman explained: ‘Capital spending is a one-off investment in a building or new equipment, for example, funded from a central government pot and paid back by the relevant department over a period of many years. A capital project is similar to a householder borrowing a specific sum for a home extension, for example, which they would not expect to fund directly from their monthly salary income.

‘Revenue spending meets ongoing and committed costs year after year, such as staff salaries or welfare benefits, and is funded by the regular income – revenue - that government receives from VAT, personal income tax and other taxation. For a householder the equivalent of revenue spending would be the weekly food shop, for example, which would normally be paid for out of regular salary income.

‘It would not be good practice or sustainable to fund revenue spending from capital funds, any more than it would be to pay for a weekly food shop with money borrowed for a home extension.’