After the departure of John Shimmin from the Council of Ministers, the first of a mini-reshuffle of departmental members has been announced.

Zac Hall MHK (Onchan) and Chris Thomas MHK (Douglas West) will join the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture with immediate effect.

For Mr Hall, it’s the first departmental job he has had since he was sacked from the Department of Education and Children in April 2012 when he disagreed with then Education Minister Peter Karran’s decision to privatise pre-school provision.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/hall-and-houghton-sacked-from-isle-of-man-dept-of-education-1-4466648|Read our story from then here.}

For Mr Hall it means he will receive a 30 per cent pay rise.

He was on an MHK’s basic salary of £38,771.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/why-i-rejected-govt-role-zac-hall-1-4766569|Two years ago he declined another government role.}

As he is already a member of a department, Mr Thomas will not get a pay rise.

Richard Ronan MHK, who became Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture earlier in the month, said: ‘I’m delighted to welcome Zac Hall and Chris Thomas and look forward to working with them for the benefit of the people of the Isle of Man.

‘With a new minister and new members in post, the Department will have fresh eyes on a number of important issues. There is an experienced and highly professional team of officers in place at the Department and I am confident we can all work together to build on the progress that has been achieved over recent years.’

He added: ‘I’d also like to place on record my gratitude for the contribution made by Juan Turner MLC during his time at the department.’

A new garden commemorating the deaths of five men killed in an air crash on Manx soil during the Second World War, and a memorial to two Canadians among that number, has been unveiled at the Manx Aviation and Military Museum at Ronaldsway.

The garden was opened by Colonel Marc Bigaouette, Air Force adviser to the Canadian High Commission in London.

Also attending the opening was Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood and Ian Corlett, pictured, who was first on the scene when the Avro Anson aircraft crashed at Cronk Ny Arrey Laa on November 13, 1944, killing its five-man crew, namely Canadian pilot and navigator Hugh Eugene McDonald and Charles Bardwell respectively, John Darlington, Percy Henry Hoyle and John David Pratt.

Matthew Quinn, 24, a trainee at Douglas-based law firm Cains Advocates, has passed his Manx Bar exams on the first attempt.

Matthew, who lives in Douglas, was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice with Distinction from the University of Law, Chester.

He had previously achieved a 2:1, with honours, in his law degree at Durham University.

He was also awarded a prize for attaining the highest mark in the litigation examination papers while studying at the University of Law.

‘I am extremely grateful to all of the staff at Cains for their help and support, without which the examination process would have been significantly more difficult,’ said Matthew.

He added: ‘I look forward to completing the remainder of my training contract and to being called to the Manx Bar towards the end of next year.’

A farmer has been refused retrospective planning approval to landfill an area of Earystane plantation, Colby.

Richard Costain of Moorhouse Farm Ltd, of Mount Gawne Road, Colby, had applied (13/00369/B) to dispose of inert waste for farmyard purposes at the plantation.

But the planning committee has refused the retrospective application on the grounds that it did not ‘satisfactorily demonstrate that the continued use of the land for tipping would not result in a harmful impact on the road network, the environment or the landscape or have an adverse visual impact’.

In his application, Mr Costain said the area was being infilled to provide a new farm yard – and planning consent had previously been secured for the whole site. He said: ‘We are genuine full-time farmers of longstanding. We achieved planning permission for this whole site. We have had the usual difficulties from people who do not understand our farming operation.’

He explained that the area that has been infilled had proved its worth and had been the only dry farm ground during the winter of 2012-13.

Mr Costain said: ‘The site is the ideal position for our new farm yard for the area. We farm cattle, sheep and crops.

‘We are actively progressing a building programme with the advice and agreement of the local agricultural field ofiicer. Farming is a long term business, it is essential that we obtain permission to infill the land on our planning application for future needs. Inert infill material can only be obtained when available. The finished level will equate to the present infill.’

Mr Costain said the area had been bog until the 1970s when it was planted with conifers as a crop.

Moorhouse Farm Ltd also farms a considerable acreage at Ronague, Round Table, Glen Rushen and Cronk ny Arrey Laa.

Safety concerns, poor facilities and a failure to meet latest Home Office guidelines are among the reasons given to Tynwald to support spending up to £2.795 million on a new custody block at Douglas police headquarters.

Minister for Home Affairs Juan Watterson said the current block, built in 1979 had awkward corners not covered by CCTV and it also lacked disabled facilities.

Latest food hygiene standards were not met, prisoners could shout to one another and facilities for seeing advocates were poor. In addition space was inadequate, particularly as the option of using extra cells at Lord Street is to be lost, Mr Watterson said. The new cell block will be modular, partly constructed off island before being positioned behind the current police station. The possibility of transferring the modular block erected 20 years ago at Victoria Road prison had been considered but that, too, was outdated and not financially viable.

The death of a prisoner in custody - Michael Joseph Davidson, in 2012 - had brought matters to a head, he said.

Isle of Man Government Ministers stand accused of attempting to push though major policy changes without Tynwald debate.

There were no fewer than nine statements made by Ministers in Tynwald this week – a situation described by both Tynwald President Clare Christian and Speaker Steve Rodan as ‘unprecedented’.

Among the statements was one by Education Minister Tim Crookall announcing that the island will break away from the English GCSE system.

Mr Rodan questioned why such a ‘momentous’ change in policy had been made by way of a ministerial statement. He said this was an issue, well trailed in advance and subject to extensive consultation, which will ‘radically affect every child in this island’.

Mr Rodan queried why no report had been laid before Tynwald with a motion for debate.

He said: ‘This is turning into an extended question time – except we don’t know what the questions are going to be. It’s unprecedented – I’ve never seen anything like it.’

President of Tynwald Clare Christian suggested CoMin should consider whether statements were the best vehicles to convey some of these points.

Other statements covered regularising of loans to Sefton Group, collective responsibility, £2.08m extra funding to cover a pay award and future funding of care for the elderly.

Mr Crookall admitted the number of statements was unprecedented but insisted in his department’s case, ‘speed was the essence’ to give schools time to implement the new IGCSEs.

He said all that was changing was the exam board, not the curriculum.

Two members of Tynwald have been given new departmental jobs.

Juan Turner MLC and Chris Thomas MHK (Douglas West) are joining the Department of Infrastructure.

They will be working alongside John Houghton MHK (Douglas North) and Kate Beecroft MHK (Douglas South and Liberal Vannin Party leader).

Leonard Singer MHK (Ramsey) is leaving the department.

The department’s minister, Phil Gawne MHK, took over at the department after the {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/ronan-is-new-government-minister-1-6706090|mini ministerial reshuffle following John Shimmin’s resignation.}

He said: ‘I am very pleased to welcome Chris Thomas and Juan Turner and would also like to thank Leonard Singer for his input. The department is facing some major challenges and we will work together to try to secure a more sustainable future for our key services.’

He added: ‘The Department of Infrastructure is at the very forefront of efforts to make the savings required to achieve the national priority of rebalancing public finances.

‘We must also continue to focus on delivering a high quality infrastructure that allows the Isle of Man to attract new investment and generate economic growth. We need to be bold and creative and I look forward to working with the members and officers to drive forward the department in the time ahead.’

Political members of departments take responsibilities in certain areas. Those responsibilities have not yet been announced.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/a-government-job-and-a-pay-rise-for-zac-hall-1-6736054|Yesterday, the political members for the Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture were announced.}

The DoI and DEFA have been working below their usual membership quota following Richard Ronan MHK’s appointment as DEFA Minister.

The memberships of the other departments will be confirmed later this month.

The Manx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is running out of money.

Writing her regular column for the society in this week’s Isle of Man Courier, Margaret Mansfield outlines the situation.

She says: ‘We are dipping so deep into our reserves that we are running out of money very quickly.’

She says that work on Ard Jerkyll had come from ringfenced money designed for specific purposes.

‘Even the most generous trust or corporate supporter is reluctant to provide funds for running costs as they like to sponsor a specific project, which is wonderful and enhances the living conditions for the animals in residence but, with running costs at an all-time high we need day-to-day help.’

A team from Ballakermeen High School in Douglas will represent the Isle of Man at the Junior Achievement-Young Engterprise Europe Company of the Year competition in Estonia later this month – and they’re looking for your vote.

Simple Minds - Rio Allison, Nick Collins, Lewis Daly, Andrew O’Neill and Jasmine Marsh - won the Junior Achievement 2014 Boston Group Company of the Year award in March for their product Need a Hand, a sealable polythene glove for cleaning up after dogs, which they promoted with the strap line: ‘Tender glove and care for your dog and the environment.’

They will now be competing against ‘the best of the best’ in Tallin, Estonia, in a challenging series of presentations that will culminate in a team being named JA-YE Europe Company of the Year on July 24.

As they prepare to fly out to Estonia people in the Isle of Man can support them by voting for Simple Minds in the People’s Choice award. Just log on to Simple Minds’ website - www.5simpleminds.com - and cast your vote.

Since they lifted the Company of the Year trophy in March, Simple Minds have been busy.

Team member Nick Collins said: ‘We’ve had to up our game, holding extra meetings and heightening our commitment, which requires much more effort.

‘In the run-up to the competition in Estonia our preparations went well. We submitted the company’s presentation, video and report all ahead of our set deadline, and that’s given us more time to devote to improving our presentation.

‘Competing in Estonia will be a fantastic experience; we can’t wait to see the other companies and meet new people. Also it will be a great experience to travel to Estonia, not somewhere we ever expected we’d be visiting.

‘We came up with the concept of the “Need a Hand?” glove so dog owners could clean up after their pets in a user-friendly way that was also kind to the environment. Currently dog owners use plastic bags, which can be messy and difficult to seal after use and can fall off your hand very easily. We recently developed our glove in black biodegradable polythene with a drawstring for easy seal. We’ve now found manufacturers and got costings for Need A Hand to go into production.

‘All that’s needed now is for people to vote for us in the People’s Choice category. We’d love to have the support of the Island, come back from Estonia as winners and do our Island proud so we’re asking people to visit www.5simpleminds.com and vote for us.’

Simple Minds will be heading to Estonia on Sunday, July 20, with Junior Achievement’s chief executive Sue Cook and programme manager Joy Spence, business mentor Damon Warr of PwC and Ballakermeen High School’s key stage 5 (sixth form) head Ian Kay.

Friends Provident International Ltd has funded T-shirts for the team’s challenge as well as materials and transport costs for the Simple Minds exhibition stand.

The Company of the Year programme, which challenges students to form and run a company with the support and advice of teachers and mentors drawn from the local business community, is sponsored by the Boston Charitable Foundation.

To find out more about Junior Achievement Isle of Man visit www.jaiom.im.

The loans made by the government to the Sefton Group in 2012 and 2013 have now been ratified and placed on a secure legal footing.

Chief Minister Allan Bell told Tynwald this week that legal advice suggested Treasury had an existing power granted by the Financial Provision and Curency Act of 2011 to place the loans on a sound legal footing or enter into an agreement with the Sefton to secure repayment.

During the June sitting Mr Bell said a commitment had been given to report back on the Sefton loans once legal advice on how to rectify the situation had been considered.

‘I am pleased to report that since then, not only has the original legal opinion been considered but government has also taken the necessary steps required to bring this matter to a conclusion,’ he said.

Advice from advocate Richard Moules, taken after the June Tynwald sitting, suggested three possible strategies to regularise the loans.

The first strategy – the one taken – was to use existing powers under the 2011 act. Alternatively new legislation could have been enacted to validate the loans retrospectively. A third possibility, Mr Moules said, was simply not to seek restitution, but this was not recommended and would not regularise the original transactions.

In the light of this advice, Mr Bell said a three party agreement had been entered into between the Treasury, the Department of Economic Development and the Sefton Group.

‘Acting on the advice of counsel, I can now report this agreement is now in force and the new agreement does not change the terms of the original agreements in any way and is therefore neutral on all parties,’ Mr Bell said.

Mr Bell also told Tynwald members steps were being taken to discover how the situation had arisen.

‘I believe the mistakes were made in good faith and we are now in a position where the issue is resolved,’ he said.

Michael MHK Alfred Cannan said he was concerned the act which was passed to deal with a £2 million discrepancy on the airport runway extension was now being used as a ‘carte blanche’ to justify the Sefton loans.

The island is making a radical break from the English education system for 14 to 16 year olds and opting for International GCSEs instead - in a move that will cost £600,000 to implement.

Treasury Minister Tim Crookall made the announcement in Tynwald on the same day that Michael Gove, architect of the reforms that had forced the island’s hand, lost his job as UK Education Secretary.

‘It was not choreographed that way but there’s a fair degree of irony in it,’ admitted education department chief executive Dr Ronald Barr.

He said Mr Gove’s departure had been portrayed in some UK media as a victory for militant teaching unions - but the island’s example showed there was little public appetite for the English reforms here and broad support from teachers, students and businesses for a break-away.

Some island high schools, including QEII, St Ninian’s, Ballakermeen and Castle Rushen High School, already offer IGCSEs – set by Cambridge University’s international examination board and used by more than 14 countries – in certain subjects.

From September 2015, all the high schools will offer IGCSEs in English and maths, with other subjects to follow including sciences, geography, history, art, music and PE. Dr Barr said it would take ‘two years tops’ to roll it out.

Those students starting their GCSE courses this September will continue to use the current English system.

Mr Crookall told Tynwald by 2017 80 per cent of GCSE entries will be through the IGCSE but there were ‘compelling’ reasons why schools believe it was not the best way in some subjects. For those subjects - design and technology, modern languages and RE, schools will follow GCSEs offered by the Welsh Board instead.

Both the IGCSE and Welsh GCSEs will be graded A*-G - unlike the new look English system where exams will be graded nine through to one. Again, unlike the new English model, coursework will continue to contribute to the final mark.

Dr Barr said the IGCSE will cost £600,000 to implement in terms of teacher training and new text books. ‘It’s a big operation but we only need to do it once,’ he said. He said a bid for extra funding from Treasury had been made on the basis this was change forced on the department but no decision had yet been made. Changes required under Gove would have cost £400K-£500K. Opting for the Scottish model would have been the dearest.

This Saturday and after around a 20 year absence, Douglas Carnival brings the town alive once again.

Among some of the events taking place, the main Villa Marina building and gardens play host to inaugural TinkerMann Festival. With a line up that’s headed up by Turin Brakes, making their first visit back to the island since their appearance at The Garden Party back in 2012. The line up for the indoor stages are also complimented by Dan Donnelly, who headlines the acoustic stage, Kings Of Lyon who are on their second visit to the island, 2014 Next Big Thing Winner, Mae Challis, Dublin songstress Ailbhe Reddy, The Quakers (think Mumford and Sons), blues band Della Grants, The Andy Steel Band and Mark Cleator.

The free outdoor stage in the gardens will feature local bands and artists; including Ian Thompson between 5pm and 6pm playing a set that will feature both Ian’s original material and some covers thrown in.

Further up the promenade towards the Sea Terminal, a stage will be erected once again in the Bottleneck car park. The Douglas Carnival After Party will feature other local bands and singer/songwriters from 7.30pm onwards and also includes Chris Gray performing between 9.20pm and 10pm among others.

Among all the carnival related shenanigans, the fine young cavaliers of The Gentleman’s Musical Emporium will bound up to The Amber Bar in Douglas for an appearance on Saturday night. Support for this event comes from the brilliant acoustic four piece, Birds and The Beards. Doors open at 8pm.

Indie band, Final Cut are out and about for a couple of shows over the two forthcoming weekends. The band hit The Station in Port St Mary on Saturday night. You can then also catch them the following Friday at The Bay in Port Erin. I’ve also received a copy of their recent EP ‘Erased From Memory’ which I’ll be reviewing here in the column in the next couple of weeks.

I’ve also received word that Davy Knowles is back on the island for an acoustic show at Noa Bakehouse, Douglas, this Sunday.

The information that I have is that the show will feature a more traditional slant musically from Davy, who’s known more for his blues based tunes.

Davy will also be bringing up special guests to jam with him at various points during the show.

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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

Firefighters freed a distressed and trapped horse today.

At 8.55am crews from Douglas fire station to the report of a trapped and distressed horse at Ballavartyn Equestrian Centre in Santon.

The horse had become trapped between a fence and a hedge.

Firefighters worked with a vet at the scene and freed the horse.

Crews used a winch, slings and various hand tools to effect the rescue.

The organisers of Douglas Carnival are hoping it will stop raining in time for the parade along the promenades.

The carnival is being revived tomorrow (Saturday) about 20 years after the annual event ended.

However, the forecast tomorrow is for heavy rain.

A spokesman from Douglas Development Partnership and Douglas Council said: ‘We have received several inquiries whether Douglas Carnival is going to proceed tomorrow in view of the forecast for heavy rain.

‘We have been liaising with the Met Office and the good news is that although the rain is likely to be heavy during the middle of the day, we expect it to have passed in time for the carnival parade to proceed at 6.30pm as planned, followed by the After Party.

‘ All parts of the event, including the Fun Day during the afternoon, will therefore proceed as planned.’

A vandal slashed two tyres of a car parked in Douglas earlier this week.

The silver Volkswagen Golf was damaged in Campion Way, Abbeyfields, some time between Monday evening and Thursday morning.

Police appealed for anyone who saw the damage being caused or who knows who was responsible to contact any police officer or ring police headquarters.

Vandalism is costing Manx schools dear.

In the current school year government workers dealt with 45 vandalism-related incidents at a cost of £8,500 in primary schools and around 50 in secondary schools and at the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education at a cost of £11,000.

Work at Youth Service buildings added a further £5,000 to the bill.

Schools closed for the summer today (Friday) but schools grounds, including playing fields and pitches, remain open for everyone to use.

‘These important amenities are at the heart of our communities and provide space for people to enjoy exercise, recreation and fresh air,’ said Tim Crookall MHK, Minister for Education and Children.

‘It has long been our policy to have school grounds open to the public to use, even when the buildings themselves are shut for summer.

‘However, those using school grounds are asked to respect their surroundings and not put themselves or others in danger.’

Much of the damage is caused by vandals climbing onto roofs via gutters and low eaves, damaging tiles, slates, gutters, downpipes and skylights.

There has also been a rise in anti-social behaviour, with schools being used for drinking, smoking and other disruptive activity.

The public is asked to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.

Mr Crookall said: ‘Those misusing school grounds put themselves and others in danger. If someone were to slip and fall while climbing, for example, they may not be discovered for some time. If broken glass is left lying around, a child may get hurt.

‘School grounds continue to be used in an orderly manner by the majority users and very few people cause us problems.

‘Fingers crossed we’ll continue to enjoy the good weather we have seen so far this summer and we can all enjoy the use of school grounds this July and August.’

The Minister also reinforced a stark warning from Manx Utilities for young people to stay away from electricity sub-stations, which came after vandals risked their lives by breaking into an 11,000 volt sub-station in Castletown.

As the holidays near, schools have been reminding pupils to stay away from sub-stations.

Mr Crookall said: ‘The “Danger of Death” signs displayed mean just that and I’d appeal to parents to reinforce this message. Let’s not have a tragedy on our hands this summer.’

Repairs to the sea wall in Castletown have been completed – and the local authority is delighted with the results.

In January, a breach in the sea wall led to a collapse of a large section of the car park by the old grammar school.

The Department of Infrastructure has been carrying out repairs since.

The authority heard last week that safety railings will be installed and the area can then re-open for car parking, of which there are more spaces than previously.

It is also hoped to create a viewing area by introducing custom-made benches, possibly a viewing telescope and bronze compass plate indicating places of interest, such as Scarlett and Langness that could be installed on top of the wall.

Children from Belarus, who are currently on a month-long visit in the island, have benefited from the generosity of the Isle of Man people.

A group of children visit annually thanks to the Friends of Chernobyl’s Children charity, which aims to enhance the health of children affected by the lasting problems caused by the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986.

During their visit to the Isle of Man the children have been given free dental treatment at the Tracey Bell practice. They also received advice on dental care and hygiene and goody bags with toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Since the Manx charity was founded in 1999 around 20 children have made the visit each year – staying for a month. Each child usually makes the trip several times and the charity targets children aged seven to 12 who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and are in social situations where it is difficult for them to find the care they need at home. Everyone who works for the charity gives their time for free so all funds raised go to the children.

During the visits, as well as the free dental treatment, the children are also given general health checks as well as eye tests.

Megan Woods, head receptionist at the dental practice, said: ‘Any treatment they may need is given free of charge. We see about eight children on each visit and we have interpreters so they know what is happening.’

Economic growth is continuing, there is a move towards rebalancing the budget but progress on strategies to protect the vulnerable, in the light of cuts, has been slower.

This was the admission of the new minister in charge of policy and reform, Chris Robertshaw.

‘It’s not about the next general election, it’s about everyone’s futures,’ he told Tynwald members, adding it would not be enough just to ‘tinker incrementally with the status quo.

‘We need a smaller, smarter government. We must reinvent ourselves.’

The so-called Big Debate, for government focuses on three themes: reducing the size and cost of government and increasing its efficiency, making government more responsive to individual need and modernising the welfare state.

He criticised Government administrative processes as ‘repetitive, expensive, traditional and ‘‘siloed’’ in nature’, and this meant the tax payer was paying again and again for the same data to be repeatedly collected and often individuals were using much of their own time submitting it. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, he said, private sector productivity increased by 14 per cent between 1999 and 2013 but in the public sector it fell by one per cent.

On government responsiveness to individuals, he said he thought the public saw the government as being ‘too big, too self-serving and too insensitive’. More thought should be given to greater investment in localism, he said.

Protecting the vulnerable and modernising the welfare state meant better targeting of funds, greater use of means and needs testing, such as introduced for child benefits, and encouraging greater self-sufficiency.

Public debate on government reform is to be sought via road shows, media engagements, social media as well as a more formal consultation process.

Collective responsibility provides stability and certainty which benefits business and allows the government to be held to account by the public.

That’s the main conclusion of a report undertaken at the request of Liberal Vannin leader Kate Beecroft back in March.

Mrs Beecroft asked the Council of Ministers to investigate alternative systems for ensuring collective responsibility is enforced in a more open and democratic way.

Chief Minister Allan Bell said Jersey had recently voted to introduce collective responsibility and in Guernsey the system had also been advocated.

‘It’s not the Chief Minister dictating what goes on,’ he said, adding: ‘If only.. it would make life so much easier.’