Earlier this month 16 leading companies committed at the Paris Climate Change meeting to help drive delivery of nearly zero energy buildings by 2020 and refurbished buildings by 2030. IoM Friends of the Earth’s Cat Turner looks at why this matters...

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

Nearly zero-energy buildings or nZEBs, are those which are built to very high energy performance standards.

The low amount of energy that they do need comes mostly from renewable sources.

Thus they’re an important part of the world’s transition to a safer, lower-carbon infrastructure and one which helps their owners and users reduce the cost of heating, cooling and ventilating them too.

They’re not a new idea: the European Union’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is already in place, and this requires all new buildings in member states to be nZEBs by the end of 2020.

In fact for new public buildings, the requirements are even more demanding - these must be nZEB by 2018.

As many readers will be acutely aware, right now some important talks are going on in Paris - critically important, in fact if humankind is to preserve a civilised way of life on Earth.

The talks are known as COP21 (21st Conference of the Parties) and they’re a key opportunity for countries to agree strategies that will make this transition as pain-free, and potentially productive, as possible.

Much of the focus has been on the issue of energy generation, since the phasing-out of fossil fuels has been identified as something that has to happen if we’re to have the slightest chance of avoiding damaging levels of climate change (and they’re already damaging for many, as residents of Kiribati and other low-lying communities can attest).

But other factors as well as energy generation will need to come into play - how we grow our food, how we get around and importantly - how we build and re-furbish our buildings, whether for living or other purposes.

Space heating and cooling accounts for a significant element of CO2 emissions, so it was great to hear that this group of Europe’s leading companies had reached agreement on the launch of this initiative to deliver nZEBs across the continent from 2020 and just as importantly, nZEB refurbished buildings by 2030.

The companies involved include some well-known British names. They range from British Land, Hammerson, Interface and JLL, through to Kingfisher, Land Securities, Lloyd’s Banking Group, Philips, Skanska, and Tesco.It’s not just builders getting in on the act, but others involved in the supply chain, including banking, technology and investment groups.

And this isn’t just about cutting carbon and saving money for the occupants of buildings (though that will be a persuasive factor).

Sandrine Dixson-Decleve director of the Prince of Wales’ Corporate Leaders Group which co-ordinated the agreement, points out that: ‘Better energy efficiency of buildings will put us on a low-carbon pathway while improving the productivity of the economy as a whole.

‘She makes the point that these technologies can offer up new business opportunities in their own right, creating new skills and jobs for communities.’

So what’ll actually happen? Well, the various organisations involved have committed themselves to a number of specific steps, including energy intensity reductions across their own property estates, transparent reporting on their delivery of nZEBs from 2020 onwards and co-operation with their supply chains and policy makers to help make sure nZEBs are delivered.

And it’s extremely timely that in the same week the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) issued a report which showed that some 75 per cent of European buildings are energy inefficient - and predicted that some two million jobs could be created through effective renovation programmes.

For a kick-off, the groups involved have promised that they’ll register, renovate or certify over 1.25 billion metres squared of ‘green building space’ - and importantly, they’ll also train more than 127,000 green building professionals by 2020.

All of this is an excellent start and hats off to the organisations getting involved. Of course, EU directives and agreements don’t directly affect us in the island though they do have a way of finding themselves into our jurisdiction, either through pressure on EU member states to ‘encourage’ their dependencies to come into line.

In the case of improved buildings efficiency, the jobs and skills, and savings for buildings occupants that could come from this initiative. Let’s hope this is one of those moves that takes root in the island very soon,

LAST week’s stormy weather caused something of stop-go sequence for the Manx boats. This was expected to cause an outbreak of panic buying in the Isle of Man as people would think the cutting off of daily fresh food supplies would leave us all in danger of starving to death.

Unhappily I have to confess that if there was any panic buying it was only me doing it.

It was Monday morning, December 7, the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl harbour in 1941, which was preying on my mind for some reason, and I went to Shoprite on my way to work to get my usual two bananas.

I have a banana in the middle of the day as a substitute for luncheon.

But the shelves which are always overflowing with bananas were empty – the boat hadn’t come in.

I decided to rush down to Marks & Spencer before anybody else got there. But when I stormed through the main doors I found myself in a vast department full of men’s clothing. Not a banana in sight.

I even went to Tesco. But I couldn’t find a parking space by the front door.

The thought of a banana was now making me decidedly peckish.

When I reached Manx Radio, where I have my workplace, somebody else working there was having a birthday and there were goodies for all laid out in the kitchen. There were only cream cakes, nothing else. But I don’t like cream cakes and I was ravenous. I ate three, or was it four?

It was, perhaps, a case of panic eating.

I AM indebted for this photograph (right) to a friend of mine, Oscar Brown.

He was on a business trip to South Africa and at a social function he was presented by Peter Veleman with a set of postcard views taken in Kruger National Park, including this one. We are looking at zebras and it is a little puzzling. Can anybody get to the bottom of it?

CROSSWORD clues seem to be in short supply so I will offer one myself. It was in the Daily Telegraph general knowledge crossword as follows: ‘Sea-bound kingdom where the Bee Gee brothers and cyclist Mark Cavendish were born, site of the annual Tourist Trophy event (4 ,2, 3.)’

Answer anybody?

JOYCE Oates, of Lower Duke’s Road, Douglas, found a story in the Examiner describing Geoffrey Boot as the newly elected MHK for Garff. I wonder what the Speaker of the House of Keys Mr Rodan might say. He was there first.

THE Daily Telegraph reported last week that ‘uninformed’ police officers were called to confront a knife-wielding Syrian terrorist at a station on the London Underground.

Exactly what did they need to know?

I DINED last week with a visiting friend of mine called Nigel Bruce. He told me there is a new collective noun for Nigels.

It’s a Farage.

ANDREW Kerr-Phillips says the flooding in Laxey was no laughing matter but he did smile a little when it was announced on Manx Radio that a meeting of the Laxey Bridge Club had been cancelled.

No troubled waters there I hope.

I HESITATED before excavating from my Funnies File a headline that was in the Manx Independent as follows: ‘Advice on flavoured condoms is tasteless says Mum’

I leave it to others to offer a suitable comment.

THIS week’s silly sign was in a London department store: ‘Bargain basement downstairs.’

James Peter Maher and Kim Ilse Moyses, of Weybridge, Surrey, sold 8 Port-e-Chee Avenue, Douglas, for £262,500, to James Bridson and Charlotte Gray, both of Hawthorn Cottage, 32 New Road, Laxey.

Michael Frank Gordon Crowe and David John Morgan, of St George’s Street, Douglas, as trustees of the C H Wallis settlement, sold Santos, Croit-e-Quill Road, Lonan, for £242,000, to Anthony Edward Mellor and Jennifer Ann Mellor, of 136 Woodbourne Road, Douglas.

William Thomas Wood and Felicity Clare Wood sold 25 Mona Street, Onchan, for £180,000 to Amie Dugdale and Matthew David Kinrade, both of Flat 3, 27 Nelson Street, Douglas.

Bertram Roy Cleator and Janet Vivienne Cleator, both of Ballamenagh Beg, Sandygate, Jurby, sold a parcel of land situated at the estate of Berrag, Jurby, for £70,000, to Gemma Quilliam, 11 Cowley Terrace, Peel.

Department of Home Affairs, whose registered office is situated at Homefield, 88 Woodbourne Road, Douglas, sold two parcels of land at the Eairy, Foxdale, for £27,360, to JC Properties Limited, whose registered office is situated at Kenna Estate, Kenna Road, St John’s.

Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, whose registered office is situated at Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, sold two parcels of land at Granite Mountain and Stoney Mountain, Foxdale, for £22,000, to Roy Shane Kermeen and Susan Lee Kermeen, of The Paddocks, Stoney Mountain Road, The Eairy.

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

We publish details of all house sales unless we receive a written request from the police or probation services.

People are being warned to be careful in the island’s glens.

The advice comes after damage caused by last week’s storm and flooding.

The Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) has issued the following update:

Laxey Glen: Partially closed, including playground.

Glen Maye: Partially closed due to trees in a dangerous condition.

Glen Helen: Footpath closed from the high footbridge to the waterfall due to a landslip.

Ballaglass: Paths passable with care

Groudle Glen: Mid-section down to viaduct closed; remaining paths passable with care

Port Soderick - Paths passable with care

Visitors are requested to follow all safety signage and not cross any taped off areas which may signify hazards ahead such as path and riverbank erosion, hung-up trees or precarious limbs of trees overhead.

A DEFA spokesman said: ‘The department is working hard to reinstate full access. Further updates will follow.’

David Cretney MLC, Member of DEFA with responsibility for forestry, said: ‘The scale of the damage across the island is staggering and the glens and forests have not escaped this.

‘Since glens are often key watercourses, they felt the full force of the storm and the Forestry, Amenity and Lands Directorate has been working hard to prioritise key areas for safety and access.

‘I am grateful that the team has worked hard to make sure that Groudle Glen can accept visitors for the Santa Trains.

‘I would ask all users of our unique glens and wider countryside to take heed of any notices.

‘The level of erosion experienced has meant that some areas look safe but have hazards such as deep under-cuts or structural implications for bridges.’

Manx Troopers will be out in force at the Palace Cinema from this evening (Thursday) when Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits the screen.

Resplendent in their Star Wars characters’ costumes, some 10 to 15 members of the galactic group will be at the cinema for around an hour up to 15 minutes before the start of selected screenings over the Christmas and New Year period.

‘Darth Vader’, ‘R2D2’ ‘Stormtroopers’ and a host of other Star Wars characters will be in the foyer and auditorium ahead of the screenings to entertain the legions of fans eager to see the seventh instalment in the George-Lucas inspired space saga, pose for photographs and raise money for Finley’s Tracks, the Manx charity supporting those living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Confirmed dates:

Thursday, December 17 (evening)

Sunday, December 20 (matinée)

Wednesday, December 23 (evening)

Sunday, December 27 (matinée)

Wednesday, December 30 (evening);

Sunday, January 3, (matinée)

Approximate times for appearances will be from 6pm to 6.45pm, (evenings), 1pm to 1.45pm (matinees).

In addition, some Manx Troopers will be making the occasional unscheduled ‘surprise appearance’.

Palace Cinema manager Steve Rea said: ‘With worldwide speculation, rumours and theories having been circulating for months about the film there’s mounting anticipation for the release this Thursday of what’s set to be one of the most eagerly-awaited films of the year.

‘And Manx Troopers will be adding to the excitement, offering fans an opportunity to get up close and personal with some of their favourite Star Wars characters and, importantly, helping to raise funds for a very deserving local cause.’

You can book your tickets for the latest Star Wars epic online at www.palace-cinema.com or call the box office on 682773 or 682778, open daily from 3pm.

This week’s Manx Independent reveals the latest moves in the privatisation of the Villa Marina and the Gaiety Theatre.

It’s the lead story in the newspaper.

The main photo on the front page is the footbridge that’s been built to reunite Old Laxey after the floods on December 3 destroyed the old structure in the area. Inside, we report when the original bridge is due to be replaced.

On page three there are a lot of photos from Wednesday’s Santa Dash.

Also this week Alfred Cannan MHK says we need to adopt a new approach to rebalancing the Manx budget. In the same story, Allan Bell confirms that although the number of people working in the public sector has dropped, the wage bill has risen.

Want to go green? Phil Gawne says we should switch to gas central heating. His views were not greeted with universal enthusiasm.

In Port St Mary the village commissioners say they feel insulted by the response of planning chiefs over an issue that’s causing consternation in the area.

We report an inquest into the death of unemployed chef David Gledhill. It’s a complicated situation that the coroner rules was not caused by an overdose of prescription drugs.

There’s also a court report on a man who begs a court to jail him to stop him drinking.

How should we recognise the island’s role in internment camps during the wars? That’s an issue that’s causing a stir around Knockaloe. We report more.

A bit further afield, astronaut Major Tim Peake has taken Manx stamps into space with him. The Independent reports why.

One of the landmarks on the main road from Douglas to the south of the island is no longer there.

We have photos of the demolition of the Lancashire Hotel and report on what’s due to replace it.

In health news, we report that more than 7,000 appointments were cancelled at Noble’s Hospital.

Meanwhile, the effects of the storms are still being felt. Many of the island’s glens are hard to access. We also report on a call to dredge the rivers.

In our memory lane feature, we have photos from past storms, including from the 19th century. Loch Promenade and the sea are hard to differentiate in one photo.

Elsewhere, there’s a heart-warming story of a pizza delivery man who’s donating his Christmas tips to charity.

Talking of Christmas, there’s a lot of photos of people on the Santa Train at the weekend in this week’s paper and a selection of pictures from the Ramsey lantern parade.

Our business editor reveals that the Junior Chamber of Commerce is to get a new name and on the secrets of effective leadership.

Columnist Bernard Moffatt recalls being interviewed for the post of union leader and being warned ‘you’re not left wing enough!’

Our Island Life section includes a look forward to the Southern Dippers’ 15th year braving the sea on New Year’s Day and a Christmas ceili organised by Perree Bane.

Steve Leach looks forward to the final live event in the Amber Bar gig calendar in 2015.

As usual, the paper includes the Isle of Man’s What’s On guide and seven-day television guide plus a great selection of photos sent in by readers.

And our sports team look forward to the weekend action.

The Manx Independent is in the shops now.

Comedian Kevin Bridges is ending his first big tour for three years at the Villa Marina.

The Glaswegian will be coming to the island with his record-breaking 135-date European tour tonight (Thursday).

His 2012 tour, Kevin Bridges – The Story Continues… smashed records with 45,000 tickets sold on the first day of sales. Bridges explains he hasn’t been idle in the meantime.

He wrote an autobiography (We Need To Talk About... Kevin Bridges), he’s been kept busy after buying a house, a boat and a dog, and performed some shows in the run-up to last year’s Scottish independence referendum.

And he has been treating his ever-supportive parents Andy and Paddy with a trip on the Orient Express, and he took his mum to New York.

‘My dad made it clear he has financial security and doesn’t want for anything,’ he said.

‘I could buy him an expensive watch but he’s not interested. What excites my dad much more is when I come to him with a new idea for material, this new “bit”, and I take out my notebook and we go over it together and he is in fits of laughter.

‘He’ll chime in with his own wee “bits” but he knows they’re sh**e and we’ll laugh that off.’

‘A Whole Different Story’ is Kevin’s third big tour. He has no regrets about taking a break after his last one.

‘Andy argued: “You have done two big arena shows and two DVDs and you’re only 25. If you want to do this your whole life then you can afford to pull back for a while.

‘I initially thought that if I took that much time off people would forget about me ... but they haven’t. What has become very apparent to me is that you need a reason to tour.

‘It is psychological. It sounds like a cliché but all this is not simply about the money.’

Kevin explains he made a conscious decision to turn down offers when he first shot to fame in 2009 after appearing on TV in Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.

‘I was in demand for television and I was receiving calls from my agent saying: “There are people who want to meet you and talk ideas...”

‘I had no interest in being a comedian who simply went on TV only then to burn out, not unlike The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent contestants.

‘I concluded that if I put in the hard graft to write and perform one more big tour and DVD that would then afford me valuable time off to relax.’

Kevin said making his family proud is important to him.

‘After my first ever gig my dad welled up a bit and that was a huge moment for me, I was blown away by that.

‘It had come after a time of two/three years not going off the rails as such but definitely getting into trouble at school; getting into trouble with the police a couple of times; falling in with a bad crowd.

‘From my parents’ point of view there was a sense of “what is Kevin going to do next?” So for my father to see me on stage for the first time being creative it meant I could say: “See dad, the police and teachers are not lying, I am quite funny!”

Tonight’s show starts at 8pm.

Tickets cost £25.50, including booking fee.

Police have appealed for a man who bounced into two windows in Ramsey in an apparent drunken prank to contact them.

At 11.35pm last night, three men wee walking along Parliament Street.

One of them bounced into a shop front window. That window held, but the same man repeated the act at Felton’s Ironmongers.

This time the window smashed. The man was lucky not to receive serious injury, police said.

The three men - one wearing a distinctive Santa hat - ran away down Parliament Street together.

A spokesman said: ‘Police appeal to the man to do the right thing and contact Ramsey police station on 812234.’

The area is well covered by CCTV.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact Ramsey police station on 812234 or anonymously through crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

A pizza delivery driver is dressing up as Santa and collecting all his tips to donate to a local children’s charity.

Cody Preston, a delivery driver for pizza company Domino’s, is donating the tips he receives over the festive period to The Children’s Centre.

‘I’ll be collecting all my tips from work to hopefully help less fortunate children have a better Christmas,’ Cody said.

The 23-year-old, from Kirk Michael, has decorated his motorbike in tinsel and is dressing up as Father Christmas for deliveries until December 22.

Cody said he came up with the idea as he wanted to help give a child a Christmas they deserve. ‘To be really honest it was a 3am idea and I thought why not?’ he revealed. ‘I messaged my boss and he said “yes”!

‘I’m struggling with money at the moment but the money raised could be a considerable amount to The Children’s Centre. If there’s anything I can do to give back then I would like to help.’

He said The Children’s Centre had helped his brother, family and friends a lot over the years through its different projects.

He said: ‘My family has always been involved with charities for as long as I can remember. The Children’s Centre has done a lot for my brother and his friends and it’s something that has been close to the family.’

Cody, who has worked on and off at the company for five years, said the job has helped him with his battle against depression and said the company has supported his fundraising mission.

‘They’ve been really supportive of it and there’s a collection box on the counter for customers that don’t have deliveries,’ he explained. ‘It did take a couple of days to get permission from head office but my boss pushed them.’

The delivery driver posted his fundraising plan on the ‘Isle of Man good neighbours’ Facebook page and it soon received morethan 1,100 likes and 530 shares.

So far, he has raised around £80 but hopes to raise much more. He said: ‘It would be nice to raise about £500. The first night was great but since then it’s slowed down.’

If you would like to help, Cody will be collecting his tips until December 22. Donations can also be made at the Domino’s shop on Groves Road, Douglas, or online by visiting www.thechildrenscentre.org

MPES are pleased to announce the success of a new programme targeted at young people, aged 16-18, who have perhaps not yet realised their full potential, and as a result are finding it difficult to find employment.

Building on the already established, and very successful work placement programme operated by the Department of Economic Development (DED), the pilot programme provided candidates with a structured learning approach via a blended mix of work experience, mentoring and learning opportunities.

Over a 13 week period, the programme provided the five individuals with a range of training in basic office and general employability skills, delivered by MPES [Manx Professional and Educational Services Ltd] on a day release basis, whilst giving the opportunity to undertake a paid work placement.

MPES and the DED would like to acknowledge the support of local employers; Prospero Group, Hansard International, Premier Gateway International, Sovereign Group, First Names, IoM Ship Registry and DoI - Estates Division, who played a vital role by providing the work placement element of the programme.

The work placement element has given the young people the opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt in the classroom gaining invaluable ‘real world’ experience throughout the programme leading to five of the six candidates securing permanent full-time work as a result.

Eddy Kewin, managing director of MPES, based in Duke Street, Douglas,said: ‘The course has been a great success. MPES are delighted to continue to be delivering courses, aimed at developing our young people’s skills and knowledge, in a bid to ensure that the Manx economy continues to flourish.’

Graham Cregeen MHK, DED Political Member with responsibility for Employment and Skills said: ‘I am delighted with the outcome of this programme which has resulted in five young individuals gaining employment with a range of local businesses.

‘This initiative demonstrates that by working with industry in a public/private partnership we can support, train and assist individuals, in order to prepare and equip them to succeed in the world of work.

‘The delivery of the programme is a credit to the Employment and Skills Group team, the training staff at MPES, the establishments who provided the work placements and in particular, the participants who have shown commitment, motivation and enthusiasm throughout.

‘The feedback from everyone involved has so far been excellent and I look forward to my department engaging with more employers and training establishments in similar ventures.’

Island residents could soon be able to see their bankers face to face on computer screens as the ‘digital revolution’ moves ever faster, it has been claimed.

Customers would be able to discuss banking issues at any time of the day or night with one to one meetings on their tablets, phones and other devices.

‘It’s a big area of opportunity but it will be driven by customer demand,’ said Peter Reid, new president of the Isle of Man Bankers’ Association.

He is island director and head of operations at Lloyds Bank International and revealed Lloyds were already trialling a new system in some areas in the UK where customers could talk about their finances face to face with trained members of staff.

Mr Reid told Business News he understood other banks were also looking at the same ideas and he believes it will only be a matter of time before the island tries it out.

He said it will be months before such a system operates in the island and space is being made available at the Lloyds International Centre of Excellence at Peveril Buildings, Douglas, where trials of the new system could take place.

Mr Reid told Business News: ‘We are in a digital revolution. It is changing so quickly.’

He described it as a ‘big area of opportunity.’

He predicted international customers overseas would particularly welcome the chance to be able to talk with and see who they are speaking to on their screens.

Speaking for the first time since taking over as president of the association Mr Reid said: ‘Let’s be honest, banking is changing radically.

‘The digital proposition over the next two to three years will I think change considerably.

‘The move is that people have got phones, and they want to use their phones to do basic banking now and things that you would traditionally go in the branch for, more and more customers are saying: ‘‘Put it on the phone, I want to get my balance immediately, I want to move money about’’.

‘There’s all these things that are starting to come out of digital and I guess, it’s no different to how many of us live and work nowadays.

‘So that will have an impact for sure on the future [of banking].’

But Mr Reid stressed that it was important customer choice was still there.

‘All we are doing in banking is making sure and looking at what customers need and what they want.

‘If we don’t do that then you will see that we will become stale in terms of what we can offer to customers.

‘Some customers prefer traditional methods of banking and some prefer the new methods and you will see in a lot of countries now that the technology is moving forward so quickly.’ Asked about the

continuing and topical problem of cyber crime and hacking attacks Mr Reid said: ‘This is something the banks take very seriously.’

But referring to the fact that around £1 billion of business was transacted online on the recent so-called ‘Black Friday’ he said online is something the customers were wanting.

‘We are developing new digital propositions in all the banks but importantly in the safest way we can.’

Mark Waterhouse, chief executive officer of Zurich Bank International, the previous president of the bankers association, pointed out that there is a separate committee at the association, looking at fraud.

He said: ‘We have been putting together a leaflet which we will be distributing around the island warning about some of the scams that go on.

‘And with advice about the ways people can protect their accounts.’

Mr Waterhouse agreed with Mr Reid that digital developments were fast moving and the banks were tasked with going along with what customers wanted.

Mr Reid said: ‘We have a 24 hour contact centre here at the Peveril Buildings with international customers around the world. So what might be 2am here will actually be a different time in Hong Kong or Australia.’

Mr Reid said that ‘when combating money laundering and fraud, one of the best ways we can improve the identifying of a customer remotely is if you can see them.

‘There are all sorts of opportunities. And we can certainly include the convenience of customers that cannot travel in and they could have access to this sort of service.’

Mr Reid said a number of the banks were thought to be operating similar pilot schemes where people can speak face to face with bank staff.

‘And I think the challenge is for us on the island, particularly with the regulators and the government, is how do you keep legislation up to date and ahead of changes’.

Asked if he thought this could mean another nail in the coffin for bank branches he replied: ‘Definitely not and ultimately the customers will decide on this. I think that’s the big shift.

‘Customers are driving things now. They vote with their feet.

‘There is clearly a demand for digital services but there is a demand also with people who want to go into the branch.

‘It’s just as important. I think the important part is how you actually get all this to work together and make it feel for the customer, a seamless experience’.

Mr Reid said the Isle of Man has built a ‘really solid reputation’ in the world.

He agreed that in many ways the island was more transparent than many other jurisdictions.

And he stressed that the banks are as concerned for the wellbeing of all their customers and not just high net worth individuals.

The Isle of Man Bankers Association is the trade association of the banking industry in the Isle of Man.

Membership is open to and encouraged for all licensed banking institutions in the island.

The current membership of licensed financial institutions is drawn from a spectrum of banks in the island including clearing banks, building societies, private banks and trust banking operations.

Refurbished facilities for younger disabled adults were officially opened in Ramsey – when the key to one of the revamped flats was formally handed over to resident Danina Parpala.

Thie Quinney residential unit in Fairfield Avenue is owned by the Department of Health and Social Care and run by Leonard Cheshire Disabilities.

It has been upgraded with refurbished apartments, new modern kitchen areas, wet rooms and a café area.

At the opening ceremony, Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle MHK described the facility as a ‘unique asset for the island’.

He said: ‘Without it, adults including those in their late teens and 20s with complex physical disabilities have limited support and housing options outside of older people’s residential care, so it provides a vital facility for the island community.’

Mr Quayle said he was pleased to say that an additional apartment had been created thanks to a legacy of £120,000 provided to Leonard Cheshire Disability.

At its January sitting this year, Tynwald approved spending of £533,000 on the upgrade and refurbishment of Thie Quinney.

The upgrade is part of a broader programme of works being carried out by the department to bring services up to current registration and inspection standards.

Thie Quinney opened 20 years ago, providing eight small independent apartments where residents can live as independently as possible but with the support of Leonard Cheshire Disability staff. Two of the apartments provide respite facilities.

Ramsey MHK Leonard Singer told Tynwald during the debate in January that the unit was ‘dark and dated’ and needed upgrading. Following the refurbishment, the unit has four apartments which are completely independent, with their own front and rear doors, two apartments which offer semi-independence and are accessed from within Thie Quinney, two apartments for respite care; and one apartment for those with special requirements.

The additional flat created thanks to the £120,000 legacy is designed to support adults with various special needs, such as acquired brain injury, as well as bariatric residents, who need extra space and special provisions not available in the other smaller apartments.

Opening the new café area, member for DHSC David Quirk MHK said he hoped the improvements will foster independence and enable people to develop new skills.

He added: ‘The project was delivered on time and within budget.’

Police spot checks last week uncovered three motorists whose driving licences had expired.

A police spokeman said: ‘This is a good reminder to everyone to ensure that your licence and insurance documents are valid.

The checks also identified more than 30 vehicles that were not roadworthy.

Isle of Man IT expert, Steve Burrows has been appointed as the new chairman of a major UK Information Technology body.

BCS ELITE (Effective Leadership in IT) is, with 3,000 members, the UK’s lead group for IT leaders, chief information officers, chief technology officers, IT directors and others influential in setting the direction of UK IT.

ELITE holds learning and networking events across the UK for its members, and such is its influence that past speakers have included Michael Dell founder of Dell Computers, Bill Gates founder of Microsoft, and many other IT luminaries.

ELITE also contributes to several major UK IT conferences and to the research and development of influential IT and data strategy reports which inform and influence IT and data policy across the UK.

Mr Burrows, who is a regular contributor to the Isle of Man Examiner Business News with his IT Matters column and was founder of the Manx ICT Association, has been an elected member of the ELITE executive committee for nearly six years, and vice chair for the past three.

Commenting on his appointment as chairman he said: ‘It’s an enormous honour to have been asked to lead ELITE.

‘Improving national exploitation of IT is key to economic growth in both the UK and Isle of Man, and the better equipped that IT leaders are to meet that challenge the better the chances of our economies surviving the rapid advances in digital engagement, automation and robotics that are starting to impact all highly-developed nations.

‘Being given the opportunity to lead the premier UK forum for IT leaders and influence UK thinking is a huge privilege, but we also need to look further afield - much of the legislation around IT and data now comes from the EU so earlier this month I travelled to Berlin to progress discussions for ELITE to become part of the European CIO Association and gain more direct influence in the EU’.

Whilst ELITE is hosted by BCS The Chartered Institute for IT it is open to qualifying BCS members and non-members alike and includes many of the most influential leaders in UK IT across business, government and the UK tech industry.

Well known island businessman Greg Ellison has been named as one of eprivateclient’s ‘50 Most Influential’ individuals in the private wealth sector in 2016.

He is chief executive officer of Boston Multi Family Office.

Awarding body eprivateclient explained the purpose of the awards: ‘The 50 Most Influential is designed to identify, recognise, promote, and introduce the leading practitioners of the private client professions and shows the breadth and depth of talent at the forefront of the private client professions today.

‘Those that have made it on to the list are the leaders when it comes to providing the best possible advice and service for clients and to driving innovation in the way the needs of wealthy individuals are met.’

Greg said: ‘It is a great honour to be named on this prestigious list. Ultimately, however, I believe it reflects the strong reputation of Boston Multi Family Office in the global marketplace. This is not just down to its significant growth over the last few years but also the unique blend of independent services it is providing, which offer greater substance and value than our key competitors and rely on our absolute independence and organic growth strategy.

‘I consider it a privilege to lead such an exciting group of companies and I’m really pleased we’ve been recognised in these awards.’

A residential home being built in Douglas is making good headway and is likely to be completed in the summer.

The home is being built on the site of the old Salisbury Street bus garages which were demolished earlier this year.

Projects director for contractors JCK, Derek Clarkson, said they were currently working hard to complete the roof to make the building water tight so internal work such as plastering could go ahead.

‘The priority now is to get everything dry, despite the terrible weather of the past two months. At the moment the building is soaking,’ he said.

Two thirds of the roof should be complete by Christmas with the remaining third completed by the end of January. Most of the windows are also now in place and the remainder should be done by the second week in February.

Plastering work inside the building is scheduled to start in March and external work to landscape the grounds, tarmac paths and parking areas and paving will take place starting around May.

The completion date for the building is set for the summer. This was to be in June or July but may be slightly later depending on the weather conditions.

‘It’s quite a tall order but I’m still hoping we can achieve it,’ he said.

Fortunately, as the site is near the top of a hill, there was no damage from flood water during the deluge of 10 days ago.

Mr Clarkson said they had made efforts to minimise the disruption to nearby residents and had been able to use the nearby Park Road School site for parking of vehicles and machinery as well as storing building materials for the project.

The planning application included off road parking for up to 26 cars. Parking should be reinstated on Salisbury Street once the development is complete.

The countdown to the possible privatisation of the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre has begun.

Three private operators, which each operate major venues in the UK, have been shortlisted and have been invited to submit final detailed proposals on running the Villa-Gaiety complex by late February.

A decision on whether a private company will be brought in is expected to be made by March or April. It could take over six months later. Both venues will remain in public ownership.

Staff were given an update at a meeting organised by the unions this week.

The move follows the Scope of Government review which recommended contracting out of the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre.

Outsourcing aims to significantly cut the amount of subsidy needed to operate the two loss-making venues.

Expressions of interest were sought in June this year from parties interested in managing and operating the complex, with the government saying at that stage it was ‘testing the market’.

It is understood that all three on the shortlist operate significant venues including some well-known names. ‘We believe all three are experienced organisations in this field,’ said DED chief executive Chris Corlett. He insisted he didn’t want to prejudge the outcome and at the stage the department was simply ‘looking at options to find the best balance between service and cost’.

He said: ‘We are not talking about transferring ownership of a key public asset. We are looking for a private partner to operate the venue and take over the operating costs, minimising the need for taxpayers’ support. It will potentially be better for staff as well as the community and the taxpayer.

‘On-island organisations didn’t feel they were in a position to make a suitable bid. But several highly experienced organisations feel they could add value here.’ There will be full engagement with staff and management.

In May, Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly said the complex’s net budget had increased from £1,349,700 in 2014/15, including £625,000 loan charges, to £1,489,700, including £765,200 loan charges. It had come in under budget for a fifth year.

Backbench MHK Alfred Cannan renewed his call in Tynwald for a different approach to the rebalancing of public finances.

Mr Cannan suggested there should be a spending review to identify which services should continue to be provided by central government.

Chief Minister Allan Bell accepted that some people get frustrated at the pace of change but said it would help ‘enormously’ if members identified which public services ‘they would like to get rid of’.

The exchange came in Tynwald question time when Mr Cannan asked whether the rebalancing strategy required savings of £15m a year to be found for the next five years?

Mr Bell replied there were two elements to the strategy for achieving sustainable finances – increasing government income through economic growth leading to increased exchequer receipts and controlling government expenditure.

‘The rebalancing strategy is not, therefore, to find a specific £15m per annum, but to reduce our overall deficit each year through a combination of increasing income and controlling expenditure,’ he told members.

But Mr Cannan said: ‘Does the Chief Minister recognise that a balanced budget means that cash raised during the year will meet cash expenditure? Does he accept that we are nowhere near that point at this moment in time?

‘And does he accept that a different approach to the one that is currently being adopted is required in order to design a proper and effective rebalancing strategy?’

The Chief Minister agreed that government had to ensure it raises as much revenue as it spends.

But he warned that too extreme a reduction of the size of government and Government expenditure can and will have a ‘seriously detrimental’ effect on the local economy, which he said would be completely counter-productive, as well as totally disrupting services to the public.

He added: ‘We make no secret we are in very difficult times with the loss of a third of our income. I think we all have the same ends in mind that we want to see a fully balanced budget, structurally, as well as revenue budgets. That is what we are working towards.’

Chris Thomas (Douglas West) suggested £15m a year might be an under-estimate as an extra £10m would be needed to finance the Enterprise Development Fund.

Mr Bell pointed out that this fund was coming from reserves and not from the revenue budget.

Replying to separate questions from Mr Cannan, the Chief Minister said the consolidated public sector deficit had fallen from £182m for the year ending March 2011 to £110m for the year ending March this year.

These include the results of the non-revenue funded statutory boards - the Post Office and the Manx Utilities Authority – and government-owned companies such as Radio Manx Limited.

Mr Cannan said the gross revenue spending was ‘very worrying’ - and pointed out that gross pay costs have risen by 30 per cent from £304m to £396m between 2011 and 2015.

Mr Bell confirmed that the total number of government employees earning above £50,000 had risen from 759 in 2011 to 813 this year, representing 7 per cent of public sector workforce. He said those figures relate only to those paid through central government payroll. He pointed out there have been pay rises of 1 to 2 per cent each year as well as incremental progression.

Mr Cannan said in that same period, 2011 to 2015, there were now 15 more earning above £200,000.

Health Minister Howard Quayle MHK said the vast majority of those high earners were hospital consultants and you had to pay the going rate.

A new bridge in lower Laxey to replace the one that collapsed in flash floods should be open to traffic in time for the next TT, Tynwald was told this week.

But Chief Minister Allan Bell told the court that building a temporary bridge for vehicles in the meantime had been ruled out as it would be too expensive.

The double decker bus that crashed into the river when Old Laxey Bridge collapsed on December was removed last Friday.

A temporary footbridge was completed on Wednesday.

Replying to a question from Speaker and Garff MHK Steve Rodan on Tuesday, Mr Bell said: ‘A temporary foot bridge is currently being constructed upstream of the old bridge, which will provide pedestrian access to the Shore Hotel and Glen Road, until the replacement bridge is constructed.

‘A temporary vehicular access bridge will not be provided, as this would hinder the construction of the new bridge. It would not offer value for money as it could only be used for the short time until construction work started and it would be very expensive to install and remove. Alternative routes are available.

‘I can confirm that design work for the permanent replacement bridge for pedestrians and vehicles has already started, and that the department hopes to have the new bridge open to traffic for this TT. The department believes that a request to draw funds from the contingency fund is likely to be successful.’

Mr Rodan asked if TT was the ultimate target date given that the village is ‘virtually cut in half’ and that there are many businesses dependent on the traffic in that area.

Mr Bell replied that it was the Department of Infrastructure’s ambition to achieve that TT deadline.

The Speaker sought assurances that ‘very careful attention’ would be given to the design of the replacement bridge, given that the original stone structure dated back 400 years and was in a conservation area.

The Chief Minister said that the new bridge will be designed as sympathetically as possible and original stonework had not been lost.

It’s all about the rock this weekend as two of the local rock and metal behemoth’s battle it out on opposite sides of the island!

Firstly, Saturday night sees the final live event in the Amber Bar gig calendar for this year. Closing off proceedings at the Douglas venue will be Amber regulars and the Isle of Man’s only Iron Maiden tribute band, Ed Force One.

Fans of the band will know what they’re in for, but for the uninitiated, the set list is most tracks from the earlier era of Maiden’s career and includes the likes of The Trooper, Run To The Hills, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Aces High, Two Minutes To Midnight, The Number Of The Beast, Fear Of The Dark, The Clairvoyant – plus a mid-set romp through the 11-minute opus Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.

Doors open at 8pm with the band hitting the stage from just after 9pm for a two and a half hour set.

For more information on the band, visit www.facebook.com/edforceoneiom

And now to Peel, where AC/DC tribute band A Little Bitta Rosie’ make their now annual pre-Christmas appearance at The Creek, also on Saturday night.

The hugely popular band include the most well known pieces of the AC/DC back catalogue in abundance, from the likes of Highway To Hell, Whole Lotta Rosie and You Shook Me All Night Long to Thunderstruck, and that’s just scratching the surface!

For more information on the band, visit www.facebook.com/alittle.bittarosie

Finally, a round up of some of the other gigs taking place around the island this weekend.

Having sold out not one, but two shows at Port St Mary Town Hall over Christmas, Davy Knowles is back in the island and will play an additional date this Friday night at The Bay in Port Erin.

Anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to snap up tickets for the Port St Mary shows is advised to get down early for this up close and personal show in the Main Bar.

Support for the night comes from Hamish Hamish. The event will start at 8pm and is free entry.

Across to Castletown where live scene veterans and a eclectic covers band Brown Sugar appear at The Union on Friday night.

Friday night will also see Manx-based acoustic solo artist Jimmy Gillespie bringing some Celtic soul to the Mines Tavern in Laxey, The Chris Winchester Duo appear at Barbary Coast in Douglas and the Alex Harris Duo put on a show at Haneffe’s Bar & Grill also in Douglas.