Debate on Isle of Man government's five-year road map delayed

A debate over a five-year road map outlining the government's priorities has been put on hold by Tynwald.

The Island Plan had been put forward on a supplementary order paper, which was published on Friday.

Juan Watterson SHK said the motion was "not an emergency" and should not be rushed through.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said, while the move was "surprising", he accepted that some politicians felt more time was needed to scrutinise it.

Under standing orders, items for debate should be added to the Tynwald Register of Business at least six weeks before they are laid before the parliament.

However, motions can be debated at shorter notice if politicians vote to allow standing orders to be suspended to take the item.

Mr Watterson told Tynwald on Tuesday that while over the past two years politicians "had to accept that things have had to happen quickly as government acted swiftly to protect our island through Covid", he wanted to put a "marker down".

"I'm worried that rushed should not become the norm, especially when setting out this administration's vision for the next five years," he added.

Although the suspension was backed unanimously by the Legislative Council, it failed to receive enough support from the House of Keys.

In a statement, Mr Cannan said the Council of Ministers had "felt it was of sufficient importance" to seek the suspension "to allow for debate in line with our commitments to Tynwald".

He said he would now "bring the plan back to Tynwald as appropriate", but ministers would "get on with the work that this plan seeks to address" in the meantime.

"The public expect government to deliver and I am keen that this administration gets on with tackling the critical issues of the day," he added.

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