Vandals were lucky to escape with their lives after tampering with an electricity substation.

The incident happened yesterday (Wednesday) in Castletown.

Following a system alert on Manx Utilities power network, engineers went to the substation at the rear of Ocean Ford in Castletown, where they discovered exposed 11,000-volt equipment which had been intentionally damaged.

The substation warnings of ‘Danger of Death’ had been completely ignored and the perimeter fencing had been cut to allow individuals access.

Director of network services Adrian Dobbins said: ‘Our engineers are specifically trained to work in with the equipment housed in these locations.

‘The damage undertaken at this particular location leaves us extremely concerned that individuals are failing to respect the very clear “Danger of Death” warning signs which are clearly visible at all our electrical installations and designed to protect life.

“We are working with colleagues in [the Department of] Education and the Isle of Man Constabulary to help provide further safety education and would additionally make a general plea to the public to make children aware of avoiding these sites, particularly as we move towards the summer holidays.’

Police appealed for anyone is able to provide any information regarding the damage to the substation to contact Castletown police station on 822222.

Two representatives from the island’s ‘green van’ firm have returned from training sessions in the UK.

Paul Wood and Ricky Rooney attended training sessions at the headquarters of Schneider Electric at Potters Bar.

Mr Wood is electrical contracts manager at Stewart Clague Services Ltd in Baldrine. Colleague Mr Rooney is electrical engineer at SCS.

The pair also visited Schneider’s test centre at Farnham.

The training primarily covered the next generation offering on UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) equipment which is now offered by the Schneider group together with the ‘Comms Room Solutions’ which included cooling, IT racks and switch gear.

Alan Clague, SCS director said: ‘As we now enter our 10th year as service partner for Schneider electric critical power systems (formally MGE and APC prior to acquisitions) the relationship has matured and the Isle of Man has many critical power Schneider installations as a result, further improving the resilience expected for the island’s e-Business sector.

‘With the further training we are now in a position to roll out the Schneider product range to include for a full ‘‘turn-key’’ data centre delivery, with the one brand providing uniformity, quality and compliance with all levels of data centre specification’.

Mr Wood said: ‘The support offered by the design and technical engineers has been useful not only to strengthen our knowledge on the technical aspects of the products, but it also allows SCS to further sell a service delivery to support Schneider on existing and future projects in the Isle of Man.

‘The onsite training on UK sites will empower our engineers with the confidence to deliver a service to the levels of excellence, quality and safety expected throughout the industry.’

Schneider Electric’s active acquisition strategy has brought more than 100 brands to its portfolio.

While some of these brands have disappeared, their products, services and solutions have built the foundations for Schneider Electric’s energy management offering.

The fleet of SCS green vans are a familiar sight across the island. SCS together with the support of the Schneider group are keen to work with IT service providers, building facilities managers and end users to provide the best possible specification and service delivery in this sector in the Isle of Man.

Beach Buddies will be going to The Lhen, Andreas parish, for this weekend’s beach cleaning team session, meeting at 10.30am on Sunday morning.

There is ample parking, and it’s likely that the volunteers will be split into two groups to give maximum coverage of the area, which is one of the beaches which seems to attract more than its fair share of marine litter.

Beach Buddies provides all the necessary equipment, courtesy of WDS Ltd, SITA and the Department of Infrastructure, and will be using the Sandy Bairstow trailer to remove the material collected afterwards, recycling where possible.

New volunteers, families and supervised children, are welcome for no more than an hour of doing something great for the environment and wildlife.

• An important point of volunteers to note is that many seabirds have now given birth to young chicks, so volunteers need to be careful when cleaning the beach, and to keep away from nesting areas.

There will be a concert tea party held at The Abbey Church Hall in Ballasalla on Saturday at 7.30pm.

It will feature 1940s music and a singalong from singers Sarah Elder and Helen Ainsworth and Jill Collings on the piano.

Tea and cakes will be provided and tickets cost £6, available from Harmony Homes shops or from Sarah on 494289.

The concert is to raise funds for an appeal launched by the Isle of Man Twin Mums’ Club to buy a twin neonatal cot for Noble’s Special Care Baby Unit.

More than half of twins are born pre-term and are therefore more likely to require special care. A twin cot allows multiple birth babies to cuddle up to each other which helps to regulate their temperature and sleep cycles. It also means that parents can spend time with both their babies together rather than splitting their time between two cots.

The total cost of the cot is £2,752.80 and around half of that amount has been donated at the time of writing. Further details can be found on the Facebook page Fundraising for Noble’s Twins Neonatal Cot or at www.justgiving.com/yimby/cot

Tynwald is to discuss possible changes to the way the government supports agriculture.

The changes could include extending financial support to smaller-sized farms, amending the way support is calculated, imposing an upper limit on payments, better supporting farm diversification and making the abattoir more viable.

The possible amendments to the Countryside Care Scheme, which was launched in 2009 ({http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/columnists/new-countryside-care-scheme-is-under-way-1-1791195|Click here to read our story then}) and other, related, policies have been drawn up by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA).

The suggestions come in response to nine recommendations made by the Environment and Infrastructure Policy Review Committee (EIPRC), which examined current policy as a result of a May 2013 Tynwald resolution and published a possible way forward in April.

Richard Ronan MHK, the Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/ronan-is-new-government-minister-1-6706090|who took on the job yesterday}, will lay DEFA’s response before Tynwald this month and it will be debated when the court reconvenes after the summer recess in October.

In anticipation of the recommendations, DEFA had already reformed the Industry Advisory Committee, which comprises representatives of the main processors, the Manx National Farmers’ Union and the Agricultural Marketing Society.

The Minister said this body would look in more detail at the EIPRC’s recommendations and has arranged to meet the EIPRC members to discuss their recommendations in more detail.

Subject to the outcome of the debate in the autumn, public consultation on any changes to support would take place, with amendments to the Countryside Care Scheme referred back to Tynwald for approval in 2015.

The EIPRC’s recommendations and DEFA’s response can be viewed in the downloadable documents {http://www.gov.im/eiprcresponses|here}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/govt-should-not-stop-live-exports-for-slaughter-gawne-1-6352310|Concerns about the Countryside Care Scheme were raised here}

More than 100 Americans, Canadians and Scandinavians are set to visit the Isle of Man to celebrate their Manx connections.

The 52nd North American Manx Association Convention will see a 70 strong delegation arrive in the island this week.

Founded in 1928, the North American Manx Association (NAMA) was established as a direct outcome of the great homecoming of 1927 when many Manx people visited their homeland from all corners of the world.

The hospitality and kindness extended at the time was cherished by all who made the trip and from this homecoming sprang the idea of a similar gathering in the United States in 1928, Canada in 1929 and a greater homecoming to the island in 1930.

The convention has been running ever since, although 2014 is their first visit to the Isle of Man since 2000.

Today, NAMA consists of more than 850 members dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of the Manx culture with groups meeting in Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Rocky Mountain; Galva; Illinois; the Greater Washington DC area; Minnesota; Nebraska; Northern California; San Diego, California; and Wisconsin, while in Canada there are Manx groups in Ontario and in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Members of the society will be warmly welcomed to the Isle of Man at a VIP reception at the Manx Museum in their honour. The group’s itinerary includes a tour of Tynwald Chambers, visits to Manx National Heritage sites and attractions around the island, and a visit to Tynwald Day on Monday, July 7.

The visit will be followed by the arrival of the Dragon Harald Fairhair, the largest replica Viking ship built in modern times, which is set to arrive on the Isle of Man on July 15 (or July 16depending on the weather).

Named after Harald Fairhair, the king who unified Norway into one kingdom, the great dragon ship was built in Haugesund in western Norway.

At 114 feet of crafted oak, twenty-seven feet on the beam, displacing 70 tons, and with a 3,200 square foot sail of pure silk, this magnificent ship is indeed worthy of a king.

The Dragon Harald Fairhair has 25 pairs of oars.

Arrangements are currently being made for public visits to the ship, which will be moored in Peel harbour.

The visit of the Dragon Harald Fairhair follows visits by the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and the MS Nybakk Venner who both visited in June. MS Nybakk Venner is a fishing boat turned floating museum exhibition which is currently sailing on a Viking ‘Thing Trail’.

The vessel has a crew of 20 including members of the Nybakk family from Norway.

The ancient Manx right of submitting a redress of grievance at the Tynwald ceremony is likely to be used on this year’s fair day, which takes place on Monday.

We have already been told about one of them.

Isle of Man Newspapers wants to give them good coverage to them and we are asking anyone who is submitting a petition to get in touch with us first.

The earlier we get it, the longer we can work on it and the better and more comprehensive the coverage will be in the Isle of Man Examiner’s Tynwald special, which will be in the shops the day after the Tynwald ceremony.

If you are presenting a petition, we’d appreciate it if you would email our newsdesk at newsdesk@newsiom.co.im with your details (including a daytime phone number) and what the petition is all about.

You can also phone the newsdesk on 695697.

One of the reasons most petitioners take their stand is to raise public awareness about th issue about which they are concerned.

There’s no better way to get your case to the Manx public than to have a story in a newspaper and our website, iomtoday.co.im

Any person may approach Tynwald Hill on Tynwald Day and present a petition for redress.

If the petition is in accordance with the standing orders of Tynwald, any member of Tynwald may subsequently request that Tynwald consider the substance of the petition.

Matters redressed by this simple but ancient procedure can lead directly to new laws.

Our reporters and photographers will be at Tynwald on the day too. So keep an eye out for them there too.

The Manx Educational Foundation has made ‘good progress’ on their proposed International Centre for Technology at the Nunnery, the chief executive of the Department of Economic Development has insisted.

Chris Corlett’s comment came as the second extended deadline for the MEF to raise £12.5 million as one of the conditions for the purchase of the Douglas site from the Manx government passed on Monday.

iomtoday asked MEF co-founder and executive director Kurt Roosen how far off the target the charity was, how much progress had been made since April, and whether he was confident the target would be reached.

He said: ‘We have not yet had the opportunity to present the results of our work on fundraising and the other associated items to the Council of Ministers, but we are scheduled to do so next week.

‘With that in mind it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this point other than we believe that the outlook is very positive.’

Originally the MEF had until the end of January to raise the £12.5m, but CoMin extended the deadline to March 31.

In April, the deadline was extended again until the end of June.

At that time it was understood the MEF had secured £9 million from private sources both in the island and internationally.

Speaking this week, DED chief executive Mr Corlett said: ‘The MEF has made good progress with their proposed International Centre for Technology to be based in the Nunnery.

‘It has raised millions of pounds for the project which is intended to provide leading edge IT skills on the island.

‘The MEF will present to Council of Ministers later this month to explain the progress made and its latest plans.

‘This will enable council to decide whether it is satisfied the sale of the Nunnery can proceed.’

He added: ‘DED continues to support this proposal as it could make a vital contribution to growing the e-business sector which is forecast to be our most important growth sector.’

The MEF was granted a six-month exclusivity deal for the sale of the Nunnery for £5 million last October.

The charity has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hewlett Packard UK (HP), one of the world’s leading ICT firms, to support its graduate recruitment programme and provide technical training for its 7,000 resellers.

It plans to install 110 accommodation pods in the grounds.

Women, part-time and low paid workers could be some of those most severely hit if government proposals currently under consideration were to go ahead.

That’s the view of Angela Moffatt of the Prospect union who said she would be responding on behalf of members to a government consultation on how the DoI can save £5 million.

So far, she said at least one union member in part-time work had said parking costs would make it unprofitable for her to work.

‘Parking costs in Douglas can be more than £900 a year and one lady has already told me she would not be able to afford to work if she had to pay this,’ Ms Moffatt said.

Public responses are being sought by the end of the month to cost saving suggestions which include an end to free disc parking and fees for residents’ parking permits in Douglas, charging public sector workers for car parking and raising the free bus pass age to 67, in line with a proposed new retirement age.

If implemented, she said some of the proposals could have major socio-ecomomic implications: ‘Those people in low-cost, rented and terraced housing in urban areas won’t have driveways. Many of those may be on low incomes and then will be hit as well by a residents’ parking fee.

‘But it runs broader than that. There is also a gender issue here because many of those part-time workers will be women. People will have child care costs and we are in an economic time when people’s household budgets are already stretched,’ she said. This in turn affects the retail sector which has already been hit by a lack of disposable income.

Although Prospect represents a mixture of both public and private sector workers, feedback received so far has shown concern about the removal of free parking, she said.

‘We haven’t had people saying ‘‘I don’t get free parking so why should they?”’. People have been more concerned about how they are going to factor this extra cost [if it comes] into an already reduced income, and that is true of both public and private sector responses.’

She said there seemed to be a paradox in proposing payment for on-street parking in the town centre while at the same time giving people little encouragement to use the bus.

‘I know the government is under pressure but there are factors to be considered. Some people will feel there is no way round it,’ she said.

‘PROSPECT will make a submssion to the consultation on behalf of members. Our aim is to represent both public and private sector views.’

Phase two of the scheme to refurbish Douglas promenades should start in September when work moves to the section from Peveril Square to Regent Street.

The next stage of work will see that small section of tram tracks removed from the middle of the road ready for later reinstatement by the Marine garden walls.

Highways project co-ordinator Jim Davidson said the foundations for the road would have to be replaced to ensure a smooth surface. In addition, the road’s current 13-metre width will be reduced to eight metres.

The repositioned tram track will take up four metres and a walkway between that and the road itself will account for another metre.

Tracks from Regent Street to Derby Castle will remain in use in the centre of the road until phase three. Reduced road width will speed up pelican crossing times and keep traffic flowing better.

Six extra spaces will be created in the Bottleneck car park and that section of the promenade will retain the seaward side reverse-in parking. An area will also be allocated there for a new tram terminus and shelter.

Phase two will cost £1,362,000 and should be finished by March 2015, if Tynwald agrees to spend the money at this month’s sitting.

Outgoing DoI Minister Laurence Skelly said money for the project was supplied from the government’s capital budget, which pays for civil engineering projects rather than the revenue budget from which £5 million needs to be saved. So it comes from a different pot than that which the department is considering a range of unpopular options, such as parking meters in Douglas and charging nurses to park at the hospital, to fill.

Phase three, if approved, will see the remainder of the tram track removed from the centre of the road and relaid by the Marine Gardens from the Sea Terminal to Derby Castle. This will be a single track with a passing point near the Empress Hotel while the horse tram service is suspended for one year in 2015.

Phase three will also see the remaining reverse-in parking transfer to the town side of the promenade.

Phase two should need no road closure or diversions to complete the work.

A total of 11 acts will be promulgated at this year’s Tynwald ceremony to be held in St John’s on Monday.

Following a service in the Royal Chapel, members of the island’s parliament will gather on Tynwald Hill, along with members of the judiciary and other officials, such as the chairmen of local authorities, while the acts are read out.

The Guard of Honour will be from the Queen’s Colour Squadron of the RAF. The Band of the RAF Regiment will play. The Fanfare Trumpeters are drawn from the Central Band of the RAF Fanfare Team.

The Official Tynwald guests are: Mark Kermode, film critic and patron of the Island of Culture 2014; Albert Poggio OBE, Gibraltar Government representative in the UK; Sean Rogers, Social Democratic and Labour Party member – Northern Ireland Assembly; Trine Skei Grande, member of the Norwegian Parliament and leader of the Liberal Party; Sean Barrett TD, Ceann Comhairle of Dail Eireann; Tricia Marwick MSP, presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament; Lisardo Lombardia, director of the Festival Interceltique; Canon Professor Timothy Wheeler DL, vice-chancellor, University of Chester; Eleanor Laing MP, deputy speaker of the House of Commons; Chris Kelly MP, Conservative MP for Dudley South; Professor Michael Sandle, internationally recognised sculptor.

At 9.30am, the official guests are to attend Cooil y Ree Gardens to lay a stone they have been invited to bring as a layer of a cairn.

This year’s Tynwald Honour will be presented to Hector Duff for his public service in conflict and in peacetime.

Those with grievances are also able to present petitions on the day. Are you planning to present a petition? Please let us know: email newsdesk@newsiom.co.im

Douglas based Metal band The Water Is Rising make their much anticipated return to the Manx music scene this weekend.

The band, made up of Skip Hilton (vocals), Scott Sayer and Justin Wallace (guitars), David ‘Kenny’ Kenmore (bass) and Stan Matthews (drums) have been away from the limelight for over a year now whilst they wrote, rehearsed and ultimately recorded their self-titled debut album.

The album launch takes place at Amber, in Douglas, on Saturday night and support comes from fellow Metal partners in crime, The Fletcher Christian Mutiny. The doors open at 8pm and the event is free entry.

A new series of shows based in the Promenade Suite at the Villa Marina begin this coming Sunday. These events based under the ‘Joshua. T. Whalebone’s’ moniker are the brainchild of Mick Hegarty, who many veterans of the Manx music scene will be familiar with. There will be two stages set up in the venue with performances alternating between the two. This first event sees Soul Suspects, Claire Manning, The Bus Pass Blues Band, Chris Winchester and DJ Peter Dunne all taking to the stages. The nights will start from 7.30pm and are free until 9pm. Post 9pm there will be a £5 door charge. There are further nights like these planned and I’ll pass on any information as I have it.

Further on from their Cold Wars EP released in September 2013, Post War Stories are now back with a seven track offering recorded completely live in their rehearsal studio in the depths of St John’s. As this has been recorded as live, what you hear is what you get. There’s no hiding behind any studio trickery or overdubs, it’s all laid bare and exactly as you would hear it if you were at one of their shows.

There are no huge surprises in what’s heard but then again, why would there be? The band still create and retain the dark, brooding, ethereal soundscapes that they’ve become known for as heard on ‘Asleep At The Wheel’ and ‘Dark Star’. They also seem to have moved away a little from the more trip hop influence that was evident in their earlier work and have opted to develop a more straight ahead, heavier, riff laden sound in places. This is particularly evident on ‘Battles’ and ‘Death Panzer’.

Overall, once again and as with the Cold Wars EP, there’s some great dynamics in the songs. One minute you’re drifting along blissfully on a wave of dark, reverb laden beauty and the next you’re being pummelled with a riff that’s jumping out of the speakers at you. This is great stuff.

This EP is also free, yes that’s right, free! Get your free download from https://soundcloud.com/postwarstories/sets/post-war-stories-live-kenna

For more information in the band, please go to https://www.facebook.com/postwarstories

Post War Stories will play at Amber on Saturday, August 9, with support from Dead Youth.

------------

Steve Leach brings the latest rumblings, murmuring, news and views on forthcoming events in and around the Manx music scene. Help support the scene by emailing leachsteve@hotmail.com

The Isle of Man Aircraft Registry has registered its 700th aircraft since it was established in May 2007.

The aircraft was a Bombardier Challenger business jet, which was surveyed and registered in Hong Kong.

Minister for Economic Development Laurence Skelly MHK said that the registry contributed significant income for the government, supported jobs in the island’s financial and professional services industry.

He added: ‘I would like to congratulate the staff at the Registry for their hard work and dedication.’

Brian Johnson, director of civil aviation said: ‘The Isle of Man Aircraft Registry continues to be the best in the world for quality of service and speed of registration and its phenomenal growth rate continues.

‘As well as managing and administering the ongoing renewals of the growing number of existing aircraft on the register we are welcoming significant numbers of new aircraft.

‘Two new aircraft per week are being added on average, although in the first 15 days of May this year the registry team received 15 new aircraft applications for registration.

‘Compared with our initial first year target of 12 aircraft registrations in 2007/08 we continue to exceed our expectations.

‘Our highly successful ‘parked commercial airliners’ scheme is continuing to prove very popular and this will shortly provide us with our largest ever project.

‘A major client has asked us to register 27 airliners on this scheme which goes to demonstrate the high regard in which the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry is held and will generate a significant income stream.’

A group described as the ‘craziest band in the world’ come to Peel’s Centenary Centre on Saturday.

Bob Kerr and His Whoopee Band are also described as five very eccentric English gentlemen playing between them some 20 conventional instruments and some not so conventional.

Their show is a complete mixture of styles from the late great Spike Jones and his City Slickers and the Firehouse Five, right through the whole musical spectrum from the 20s to the 90s, with parodies of Roy Orbison and The Blues Brothers to name but a few.

The Whoopee Band are John ‘The Professor’ Percival, Malcolm Sked, Bert Lamb and Henri Harrison.

Bob said of the upcoming gig: ‘This will be our third time on the Isle of Man but both previous ones were in Douglas.This is the first time in Peel.’

‘I became involved in music when I was about 17, I’m now 74. I have played with many bands on the more comedy side of music, like The Temperance Seven, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The New Vaudeville Band and my own band the whoopee band.’

Bob plays trumpet and cornet and sang the vocals on the worldwide hit ‘Winchester Cathedral’ by The New Vaudeville Band.

The song reached number one in America and Canada.

That band had three other top 40 hits including ‘Peek-a-boo’, which reached number seven and ‘Finchley Central’ which made it to number 11.

Discussing his career Bob said: ‘We worked mainly in America where we were a huge success. The highlights of my career are many and each new band I played with was great as they always seemed to be successful in their own unique way.’

Asked if he had any advice for young bands starting out he said: ‘My advice to new bands starting out, to be honest in this day and age would be fairly out of date, but I guess keep at it and do your best for yourself and your audience who are your most important people to your career.’

Tickets are available from Celtic Gold in Peel, Shakti Man in Ramsey, Peter Norris Music in Douglas and Thompson Travel in Port Erin or online.

For more about Bob and His Whoopee Band visit www.whoopeeband.eu

The minimum wage in the Isle of Man is set to rise.

Tynwald will be asked to increase it in the July sitting.

The full rates would be:

Aged 21 and over (except certain trainees): from £6.40 an hour to £6.65.

Eighteen to 20 (except certain trainees): unchanged from £6.40

Trainees 18 and over: unchanged at £5.24

Seventeen: unchanged at £5.24

The changes have been recommended by the Minimum Wage Committee to introduce a new age bracket applicable to 18- to 20-year-olds and to increase the Isle of Man’s minimum wage by 25p per hour, an increase of 3.9 per cent, for those aged 21 and over. Subject to Tynwald approval, the new rates will come in to effect from October 1.

Minister for Economic Development Laurence Skelly MHK said: ‘The minimum wage is an important incentive to encourage people into work as well as representing an important part of government’s aim to protect the vulnerable and make work pay.

‘There is always a fine balance between meeting the demands of employers and employees but I believe the committee’s recommendation has achieved this, so I am bringing forward regulations to give effect to the committee’s recommendation to Tynwald.

‘The introduction of the new age bracket for 18- to 20-year-olds will reduce the risk of young workers being priced out of the labour market and better recognises the greater experience and skills that those aged 21 and over tend to have over their younger counterparts.’

The UK’s minimum wage for people over 21 is £6.31 an hour.

{https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates|Click here to see its rates}

Following a meeting of the Isle of Man Queen Scallop Management Board earlier in the week, a package of measures has been agreed to allow a limited fishery in the Isle of Man territorial sea this year.

Following surveys carried out by Bangor University, scientific advisors to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, and by the Manx Fish Producers’ Organisation, it has been recognised that the volume of queen scallops has fallen and urgent measures are required to aid their recovery. These measures take into account the need for the Manx fleet to generate an income from this fishery while protecting some key areas for Queen Scallop.

With effect from Monday (July 7), the following measures for fishing for queen scallops within the territorial sea will come into effect:

Fishing can take place on three days per week between Monday and Thursday only and from 6am to 4pm

All catches must be landed to a port in the Isle of Man, although they can be subsequently processed elsewhere

All vessels must complete and submit catch return forms on a daily basis and carry a data logger on board, to provide additional data on their fishing activity

A number of areas closed to fishing have been specified at the Targets, east of Douglas, off the Point of Ayre and south of the Chickens

A total of 500 tonnes of queen scallops can be caught in July, with no more than 1400kg per day, per boat

Detailed information for fishermen will be provided at www.gov.im/fishing/conditions

The Isle of Man Queen Scallop Management Board will meet again later this month to review fishing activity and agree measures for August onwards.

Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘I am very aware of the difficulties faced by the fishing industry as we try to balance the recovery of this fishery for the future against the importance of enabling our fishermen to earn a living.

‘In addition to the measures above, my department is working on a tie-up and diversification scheme to further assist our fishermen during this difficult year. I look forward to working with the industry to find the best ways forward through this situation.’

A stroke caused by an undiagnosed brain tumour changed Adrian Derbyshire’s life overnight, motivating him to launch a one-man campaign to tackle hate crime.

In the six years since then, Adrian has toured schools and colleges inspiring children and young people and educating them about the dangers of hate crime.

‘Since I became disabled myself I have had abuse in the street and I’ve had my house broken into because I was perceived as an easy target,’ he said.

A former sports therapist and personal trainer, he now uses a wheelchair to get about and has embraced disabled sports. He has won medals at the top level of wheelchair fencing and was set to represent Great Britain in the 2012 paralympics before being sidelined by an injury. He also carried the Olympic torch.

‘I want to spread positivity about disability,’ he said.

‘And I want to inspire our youth, promoting health and well-being by speaking to 50,000 children this year. That is my target.’

He plans to use his hand cycle to ride the equivalent of a marathon each day and has already completed a lap of the TT course, to publicise his visit and his message. With the help of the TT Marshals’ Association who provided an escort, he completed the circuit in one hour and 51 minutes.

During his visit to the Isle of Man he visited Castle Rushen High School and QEII in Peel but he hopes to return in the autumn and visit more.

‘I have been talking about what a hate crime is and what we can do to stop it. I take the hand cycle down to the school and I get them to hold my medals and the Olympic torch and it’s amazing what they tell me about self harm, stigma and being bullied.’

Adrian said he was also planning to meet Michelle Alker whose daughter Caitlin committed suicide in 2012 after a campaign of bullying targeted her on social media.

Celebrating his 40th birthday while in the island, he said it was something of a milestone for someone who six years ago was given weeks to live.

‘I went to bed fit and healthy then woke up three days later in hospital where I stayed for nine months. I had to learn to talk and write again and although I can stand I can no-longer really walk. It certainly focuses the mind,’ he said.

What started out as a four-week campaign against hate crime centred on his home town of Warrington in Cheshire then snowballed: ‘Four weeks turned into months then my sponsors came on board as well as businesses, ITV, Channel Four.

He has a website and also a justgiving page where people can donate money to help fund his campaign. He also coaches both able- bodied and disabled children.

‘In fact, I’ve never been as busy as I have been since the brain haemorrhage,’ he said.

‘The coaching is good and it’s fantastic to see disabled and able-bodied children getting together through sport. I am also an ambassador for six charities and I met the Prime Minister recently.

‘The lap of the course was to help promote health and well being and inspire others as well as gaining publicity.’

Ministers ‘played fast and loose’ with financial regulations over a £770,000 review of the National Insurance Fund and welfare system.

That’s the damning conclusion of a Public Accounts Committee investigation into the affair.

The PAC also concludes Tynwald approval should have been sought to confirm beyond doubt government was acting within its legal powers to use money from the NI Fund to pay for the review.

By not following financial regulations in their ‘indecent haste’ to commission the review’s second phase, Ministers may have exposed the public purse to ‘unquantified risks’, it adds.

The report, {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/grim-reading-for-the-council-of-ministers-1-6706634|leaked ahead of publication to the Manx Independent}, comes just a fortnight after independent legal opinion concluded government loans awarded to the Sefton Group were not lawful.

The PAC inquiry into the NI Fund review courted controversy even before it heard its first evidence with Ministers accusing committee chairman, Alfred Cannan MHK, of prejudging the issue.

Chris Robertshaw and Eddie Teare called for the Michael MHK to step down as chairman in April, after he accused the Council of Ministers of pursuing the ‘politics of panic’ following the announcement all options need to be considered to prevent the NI Fund – which pays for state pensions, the Manx pension supplement and other social security benefits – from collapsing by 2050.

Consultants for the project’s second phase were appointed after a decision by CoMin in September 2013, without it going to competitive tender or a waiver being issued by Treasury under financial rules.

The PAC report will be laid before Tynwald at this month’s sitting but it is not due to be debated by members till the October or November sitting.

The report states: ‘We conclude that an express Tynwald vote would have put the legal vires for the expenditure beyond doubt. Politically, because of the scale and political significance of the review, the proposal to engage consultants to undertake it should in any case have been placed before Tynwald at an early stage.

‘Express Tynwald approval should have been sought both for the level of the proposed expenditure and for the use of money from the National Insurance Fund for this purpose.’

The PAC recommends Treasury brings forward legislation to prevent funds being transferred out of the NI Fund ‘in respect of novel or significant administrative expenses without the express prior approval of Tynwald’.

Addressing whether the expenditure was properly authorised, the PAC concludes ‘the procedure by which the contract was entered into was not in accordance with financial regulations’.

The report states: ‘We conclude the Council of Ministers appears to have forced the Treasury and the Department of Social Care to commission phase two of the review with indecent haste, believing in its zeal for reform that the ends justified the means, playing fast and loose with financial regulations, and leaving civil servants to pick up the pieces.’

It continues: ‘We conclude in its extreme haste to commission phase two of the review, the Council of Ministers may have exposed Treasury and the National Insurance Fund to unquantified risks.’

The Chief Minister hit back at the Public Accounts Committee’s claim that ministers ‘played fast and loose’.

Allan Bell said: ‘I think it is incredibly unfortunate that the authors of this report have used the language that they have. Ministers have not played fast and loose with financial regulations.

‘They have done a very serious job to try to collect the data to enable us to make the long term strategic decisions to protect the welfare state we enjoy on the island.’

He said ministers would need time to consider the report’s implications and to get behind the ‘headline-grabbing statements’.

The Chief Minister said: ‘If there are deficiencies in the legislation or if the legislation needs clarifying then we will certainly put that right.’

He added: ‘The one thing that clearly comes out of the report is the ministers were quite within their rights not to take this decision to Tynwald. They were perfectly capable of making the decisions separate of that.’

Liberal Vannin leader Kate Beecroft MHK said: ‘With ministers behaving like this, it is hardly surprising that this government is losing all credibility and the confidence of the public.

‘The report by the Public Accounts Committee is excellent and they have all obviously worked hard to produce it in such a short time scale, but it does not actually conclude the matter.

‘There are too many unanswered questions and they are questions that have to be answered.’

The Sefton loans affair will be brought up again in July’s sitting of Tynwald.

There will be a statement from the Chief Minister about the situation.

The purchase of the Middlemarch site (on the corner of Lord Street and Walpole Avenue in Douglas) as part of the Sefton bailout deal is also on the agenda.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK will ask for Tynwald’s approval for the £3.2m transfer from the capital transactions account.

Chief Minister Allan Bell will also be making a statement about collective responsibility, the practice by which ministers stick together once they’ve made a decision after agreeing to a ‘party line’, the practice adopted in most parliamentary democracies.

The Manx taxpayer is to give aid in response to two humanitarian crises.

The International Development Committee of the Council of Ministers has awarded Oxfam GB £50,000 to improve water supplies, hygiene and sanitation for refugees who have fled their homes since the start of the conflict in Syria.

The organisation is helping to restore essential services and infrastructure for people living in temporary accommodation and shelters where aid is desperately needed.

The committee has also provided £50,000 to Plan UK to assist displaced children and families in Sudan.

The humanitarian support is aimed at supplying clean water, food, shelter, education and sanitation in the North Darfur region.

Phil Gawne MHK, chairman of the International Development Committee, said: ‘The emergency funding will make a small but valuable contribution to the aid programmes being delivered in countries scarred by conflict. Funding from the Isle of Man continues to improve people’s lives and also reinforces our reputation as an internationally responsible and compassionate nation.’

He added: ‘I recognise that overseas support is an emotive issue at a time when the Isle of Man is experiencing its own financial challenges. However, the Isle of Man Government believes that it is important to play its part in efforts to create a better future for all the world’s citizens.’