The top entrants in a wildlife photography competition received their prizes at the Salmon Centre in Laxey.

The competition was run by the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and attracted more than 200 entries with the top 15 being used in the Custodians of the Manx Countryside 2015 calendar.

The comeptition had five categories – farm animals, farm machinery, wildlife, countryside scenes and countryside characters – and the winning entrants received £25 gift vouchers and certificates with their names and their featured photographs on them. The winners also each received a copy of the calendar. Proceeds from the calendar go to charity and last year’s raised £750.

FWAG chairman Paul Fletcher thanked the photographers for their entries and Quine and Cubbon who produced the calendars at lightning speed in time to sell at the Royal Manx Agricultural Show after the winning photographs were voted on by visitors to the Southern Agricultural show a few weeks earlier,where all 200 entries were on display. Proceeds from sale of the calendars will go to the Agricultural Benevolent Trust, Manx Wildlife Trust and Manx Birdlife.

They cost £5 each and are available from the Agricultural Merchants, the Salmon Centre in Laxey, Union Mills filling station, Ballaleece Farm shop, DEFA headquarters at St John’s and Raymond Caley’s shop in Sulby.

Paul Davis, chief executive officer of Counting House (IOM) Ltd has returned from the EiG event in Germany with hard-hitting analysis of his concerns for the eGaming sector in the island. This is what he has to say:

I was privileged to be part of the Isle of Man delegation which visited Berlin in late October and exhibited its offering and finest people to the international eGaming community.

By any metric – footfall on the stand, number of meetings held, quality of visitors, number of other exhibitors, the sector appears to be in decline.

The homework had been done.

We hosted a special session for start-ups (well attended), and publicised a launch event to showcase our crypto currency readiness (only one chap came).

playing cards

But for sizeable portions of the three days, we had only ourselves to talk to; in fact there was so little action that at one point the younger delegates on the team sat around a table and held a card game.

It sounds terrible, but there was no-one to notice.

What are we to make of this absence of enthusiasm?

EiG is not the largest gaming show in the world, or the most important.

ICE, held every winter in London, is bigger and by virtue of its free entry attracts a bigger crowd.

The iGaming Supershow, presently held in Amsterdam, is also arguably a more important event.

But EiG has been a good source of business in the past. It is no longer.

The points of failure are both in the industry at large and in our own back yard.

There has been much consolidation in the eGaming industry of late.

There are few really new ideas, and the barriers to entry are ever higher.

As the Isle of Man we can no longer offer a ticket to entry into the lucrative and mature UK market, and with the entry of Jersey at around 15,000 euros per year for a licence we are priced out of the start-up market by refusing to lower our 35,000 euros.

New entrants, even if they have this kind of money to spend, would rather put it into development and marketing.

Larger, established players in Europe are juggling their licences and assets between Gibraltar and the UK, while Asian businesses, particularly in sports betting, are putting their efforts into protecting their UK shirt sponsorships and advertising privileges.

annihilated

The UK has boxed very clever, and virtually annihilated the Isle of Man’s USP (unique selling proposition).

ROI (Return on Investment)is down with market saturation, and when returns sink, costs are examined carefully.

The massive growth in the binary options industry is over.

One bright star; the greatest growth area of online gaming at present is in the lottery messenger industry.

Development is in Israel but there is much interest in the IoM licence due to our expertise and current market position.

Firm, positive action needs to be taken on several fronts to preserve our existing operators on the island and give us any kind of foothold in the future.

The private sector knows this; government has been slow to respond and the battle may already be lost, albeit that the evidence is not yet all gathered.

Too little, too late will not save the day.

Now the nights are darker and the weather is beginning to get wintry, it’s time for motorists to prepare.

John Houghton MHK, the politician with responsibility for roads at the Department of Infrastructure, has launched a campaign aimed at improving road safety during the winter months.

‘Are You Ready For Winter?’ urges drivers to carry out a number of basic vehicle checks and to drive to the conditions as the days become darker and the weather more extreme.

Before heading out on to the road people should –

Check lights work – and use them

Demist windows fully before driving

Check tyre treads and pressures

Use fog lights in fog

Mr Houghton said: ‘Keeping your vehicle well maintained is important all year round, but doubly so in winter.

‘This is about taking practical and common sense steps to ensure everyone stays safe on the island’s roads.

‘For example, worn tyres won’t hold the road in wet conditions as well as those with a good, deep tread.’

He added: ‘Always adjust your dri­ving accord­ing to the con­di­tions and plan your jour­ney by check­ing the lat­est weather forecast, as the winter months can bring extremely challenging driving conditions.

‘Make sure that you can see clearly and that you can be seen.

‘Don’t set off peering through a letter-box size gap in your windscreen – make sure it is fully demisted.

‘Use dipped head­lights in poor vis­i­bil­ity and don’t just rely on day­time run­ning lights if you have them.’

To promote further awareness of the added requirements for winter motoring, the department is asking drivers the following questions –

Do you know where the switches are for your front and rear fog lights? Studies suggest that 30 per cent of drivers don’t know how to turn on their rear fog lights

When did you last check your lights and tyres?

Mr Houghton said: ‘Being prepared for winter motoring is very important. We want to keep people safe and reduce the number of incidents on Manx roads. The message is to properly maintain your vehicle, drive with care and respect the road con­di­tions.’

More than £1 million of upgrades and refurbishments have given the historic buildings of King William’s College a new lease of life.

Several major projects were undertaken over the summer period, including a significant upgrade in the girls’ boarding house and much needed roof, window and external repairs.

Meanwhile a complete makeover of the fourth form year group centre, new electrically retractable seating in the main theatre space and on-going refurbishment of the art building have made for major improvements in the school environment.

The retractable seating in the main theatre space, known as ‘big school’, has enabled the school to hold large events.

These have already included a fashion show by local fashion designer Claire Christian, when the space was turned into a catwalk and dinner venue.

The refurbishment to the girl’s boarding house has given the building a new lease of life.

The fourth form year group centre, known as Stenning, has had a complete makeover and makes for a more spacious and relaxing environment for members of the fourth form during their break times.

College principal Martin Humphreys said: ‘These works, long overdue and part of a long-term commitment to substantially upgrade facilities, have made a real and immediate difference for pupils and staff at King William’s College.’

The Department of Infrastructure (DoI) and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) have joined forces to undertake work in Peel harbour.

The work was carried out in conjunction with the department’s sub-contractor JCK Ltd.

A spokesman for the DoI said: ‘Work is taking place to extract a quantity of river stone from an area alongside the marina boat park that had become dry.

‘This is a joint scheme involving DoI and DEFA and should be completed by the end of the week.’

The harbour was dredged in May, causing controversy after black sludge was seen being pumped into Peel bay by a newly-installed pipe which carried silt from the harbour to the end of the breakwater.

DEFA and the DoI removed 10,000 tonnes of silt.

Just when Douglas Athletic’s JCK Division Two league ambitions were temporarily shunted into the sidings following two recent consecutive defeats, the Pinks got back on track with a much-needed 6-3 win over Malew at Springfield Road on Saturday afternoon.

Managers Neil Akkulugadu and Tony Sewell, the latter taking his first game in charge of the southern club, have been team-mates at Union Mills combination and currently ply their trade in their veterans teams but were managerial rivals for 90 minutes - it’s amazing what football can conjure up at times.

It only took two minutes for Sewell’s managerial career at Malew to register itsfirst goal. Following a teasing run from Andy Glover along the left, his pass across goal outside the penalty area was met by Ashley Egan’s run, who crashed his shot into the goal for a superb strike.

Athletic responded with a high pressing, passing game and their industry was rewarded with an equaliser on 20 minutes when John McMullen’s cross from the left dropped into the six-yard box and Josh Green slid his effort into the net.

Two minutes later the Pinks took the lead. Stuart Monks’s free-kick was deflected to Mathew Aire on the right and his bundled pass across goal was met by defender Luke Callister who had visions of being a striker and smashed the ball into his own net.

The hosts put themselves further in command with a third before the intermission. David Clark’s ball over the top was met by Lewis Howland who kept his composure and, although goalkeeper Cal Alexander got his palms to the shot, he couldn’t prevent it going into the net.

The Pinks extended their lead further after the break when Stephen Cowan’s free-kick from the left was flicked home by Clark at the near post.

Substitutions were made by both sides but it was Malew who looked the rejuvenated force and soon pulled a goal back. Glover’s cross to the right was received by Craig Howard who caught the hosts flat-footed before squaring it across goal for Stephen Mulhern to side-foot home from close range.

The hosts refocused by scoring a fifth. Danny O’Hare’s cross-field ball found Gregg Kneen in acres of space where, homing towards goal, he put his foot behind the ball and the resulting strike kissed the inside of the near post and nestled into the net.

O’Hare was provider again for their sixth, pickpocketing the Malew defence before pushing a through-ball for Matthew Aire to guide into the net.

Malew were by no means finished and scored another exceptional goal when Callister made up for his earlier misdemeanour.

Collecting Sam Tipper’s and leaving his defensive duties, he unleashed a 25-yard screamer that hit the underside of the bar before nestling in the back of the net but it was not enough to prevent Athletic making it two wins out of two.

TEAM CHECK

Douglas Athletic: Matthew Quirk, Stuart Monks (Matthew Harrison 90m) John McMullen, Stephen Cowan (Gregg Kneen 58m), James Aire, Kyle Berry, Josh Green, David Clark, Lewis Howland (Connor Dowell 58m, Danny O’Hare

Malew: Cal Alexander, Tony Sewell (Sam Tipper 55m), Charlie Dellborg (Michael Pardoe 75m), Jack Powell (Danny Shuttleworth 61m), Craig Howard, Luke Callister, Ian Mahon, Darren Kay, Ashley Egan, Stephen Mulhern, Andy Glover

Referee: Johnny Hogg

Man of the match: Berry (Athletic)

Match rating: HHHHI

With long-time league leders RYCOB enjoying a week off in JCK Division Two, Marown were able to close the gap at the top to five points after they triumphed 4-1 at Douglas and District.

Elsewhere in the second tier, Douglas Royal were made to work hard as they edged past Braddan 3-2 at Victoria Road, Colby beat Castletown 2-1, Onchan just got the better of newcomers Governor’s Athletic by the odd goal in seven and Pulrose United eased to a 5-1 win at home to Foxdale.

Last month was the second wettest October on record, the latest Met Office figures show.

But the dry September – with the second lowest rainfall on record – meant the ground was able to absorb the majority of the rain so flooding was relatively minor.

Total rainfall measured at the Met Office’s base at Ronaldsway was 210mm. It compares to the October average of 102mm. Only October 2002 recorded more with 228.6mm.

The mean temperature for the month was 12.5C compared to the October long term mean of 11.2C.

The highest temperature of 17C was reached on both October 2 and 17.

Meanwhile the lowest air temperature of 3.3C and the first grass frost of the season – minus 1.3C – were recorded on October 29.

The wind speed for the month was above the 15.6mph average at 17.5mph.

The wind reached gale force on October 6 and 21, the latter containing the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo recorded a maximum gust of 60mph at Ronaldsway.

Despite the unsettled weather there were 107.3 hours of bright sunshine, slightly above normal.

There were four days with thunderstorms.

Shipping company boss Mark Robershaw is a firm believer in promoting the Isle of Man during his globe-trotting business travels.

After all, the slogan for expanding Bibby Ship Management is ‘the power of partnership.’

So it is no surprise that this Manxman and father-of-three strongly supports giving the thumbs-up to ‘Isle of Man plc’

It’s been a whirlwind first year in the hot seat at Bibby in the island for 42-year-old Mr Robertshaw.

During an interview with Business News he told how Bibby has plans to expand and how the business is a firm supporter of the Isle of Man.

As managing director of Bibby Ship Management (Western Europe) Ltd and group commercial director, he admits that in an average month he will spend two weeks away on business.

He said: ‘I think the accessibility of the Isle of Man is terrific for international business as long as the current air links remain in place. It is exciting.

‘And I think Dick Welsh does a fantastic job at the Isle of Man Ship Register.

Mr Robertshaw who went to Onchan Primary and then Ballakermeen High School, joined Bibby in September last year.

He was previously based in Singapore where he set up a top-level recruitment company for the maritime sector.

His three sons Joe, 13, Jake, 11, and Sam, eight, were all born in Singapore.

It’s been a massive year for me being back in the island which I love.’

Forty five people work for Bibby Ship Management at its impressive base at Compass House on the Isle of Man Business Park.

Mr Robertshaw has around 20 years worldwide experience in the maritime industry and has worked in various enior management roles within the industry.

Bibby Ship Management manages around 760 vessels including dive support vessels, tanker vessels, oil and gas carriers, product tankers and floating storage units with a distinct focus on the offshore sector with around half of them offering support to the offshore oil exploration business.

Mr Robertshaw said: ‘Our operating plan is we are looking to grow to probably about 150 ships in the next three to five years so doubling in size.

‘Bibby operates in 16 locations in eight countries.

‘It’s a very international business. We have some very ambitious plans both for the group and for the Isle of Man office. The office here is an integral part of the whole operation.

‘The Isle of Man, although not the head office [that’s in Liverpool] is one of the biggest net contributors to the business.

‘With the large contracts that we have here we are key to the group’s ambitious growth plans.’

around the world

He added that a lot of his work takes him around the world on business.

And he is always keen to promote the island on his travels.

‘As an example during October I have been to Singapore, Aberdeen, Liverpool. During November I will be in Saudi Arabia, Aberdeen again, London, it’s a mixture of international and local travel in the UK.

Mr Robertshaw said shipping was not really in his blood, his grandfather Gilbert and his father Chris Robertshaw were hoteliers. His father is now an MHK and is currently Minister for Policy and Reform in the Isle of Man Government. Asked if he would consider following in his father’s footsteps he said he is happy working in the maritime sector and would not be pursuing a political career.

He said: ‘I love the international nature of shipping. I just like the characters you meet in shipping, there are so many.

‘You meet such a variety of people, amazing characters.

‘This is very much a people business.’

Asked about the economic benefits for the island he said:’ From a tax point of view it is less and less. I think it is about the skill set now.

‘the tax benefits are there but they’re not as great as they used to be. It’s about the fact we have a great pool of talent here in the Isle of Man.

‘That’s why the business is here in the island.’

Mr Robertshaw said Bibby Ship Management was involved in some exciting projects for the future as well as more than 200 years trading in the maritime world.

A Manx Cadet Trainee officer scheme is set to get under way next year offering job opportunities for young people.

In addition Bibby offers crewing and technical services to a number of superyachts and it also has another business in the island called Bibby Travel which provides business and marine travel to both island and international customers.

On a personal note Mr Robertshaw said he and his wife Cath and family were delighted to be back in the island.

And he revealed he has converted a barn to be their family home in Marown. He said he had wanted the building since he was 16, bought it when he was 29 and finally moved in three weeks ago.

This was the moment that ducklings that were rescued after being targeted by seagulls were released back into Silverdale boating lake.

A crowd gathered at the lake last week to watch as Sandy Huyton of Dolittle’s Animal Centre at Cregg Mill in Silverdale along with volunteers of The Ace Team returned the eight ducklings to their natural environment.

Sandy said they’d had to intervene to ensure their survival – but the best place for them was now on the lake.

She said: ‘They will find it strange to start with but they were built with a natural instinct to survive and so they will.’

Following the release, a duck race – using plastic ducks – took place.

The animals had been cared for by Sandy and 16-year-old Jake Callow since their rescue in August, when the ducklings were just a couple of days old.

Jake, who worked over the summer at Silverdale cafe, prompted the rescues when he became concerned about the risks posed to them by seagulls.

Paddle boats were used to reach the ducklings and Jake ended up in the water during one of the rescue missions.

Since then they received VIP treatment, and Sandy and her team watched their development as they moved on to solid foods, and increased in both size and weight.

The ducklings’ rescue and subsequent progress sparked huge interest online.

A strongly-worded letter from the Chamber of Commerce’s retail committee chairman slams the proposal to introduce more car parking charges in central Douglas and calls on the government minister to have a complete rethink on the policy.

Stephen Bradley accuses the government of picking easy targets with new town centre parking charges and says owners of businesses in central Douglas were ‘flabbergasted’ at the measures. ‘Our customers have less cash in their pockets and our costs are rising faster than revenues,’ he says.

‘Our part of the economy cannot sustain further increases in costs from whatever corner. Such charges will not just be unpopular, they will threaten the very existence of many small retail and restaurant businesses.’

In his letter, Mr Bradley suggests the burden should be borne by ‘more profitable sectors’, adding: ‘Increasing car parking charges without considering the wider economic impact on a fragile service sector is pure madness and totally unacceptable.’ He describes the measures as ‘ill-considered knee-jerk decisions’ and claims the effects on the town centre could be irreversible, taking significantly more money out of the high street than they will generate in revenue. He also cites examples of towns in the UK have made a conscious move back to providing at least some free car parking to boost town centre trade in the light of the competition from out of town retail parks and the internet.

‘Reduce car parking charges and town centre footfall increases, increase footfall and retail turnover increases. With retail turnover comes investment and jobs; the reverse is unfortunately true.’

The new Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK last month announced a string of measures which included reducing the duration of the angled parking on Loch Promenade in Douglas from two hours to one and charging drivers to park on the promenade walkway.

Concessions granted after protests, will allow free parking for Thursday late night shopping in the run up to Christmas and on Saturdays before the charges kick in fully in January.

Mr Bradley cited the examples of Swindon, Rotherham, Bolton. Middlesbrough and Oldham, which have tried out different types of free parking schemes, successfully generating more town centre business.

Among the measures he has called on for Douglas are free promenade parking for the first two hours, free promenade parking at the weekend and free promenade parking any day after 3pm.

The measures would apply both at the roadside and on the walkway. He also calls for free parking after 3pm and at the weekend in the DoI’s Chester Street car park.

Douglas East MHK Brenda Cannell whose constituency includes the seafront and town centre and is therefore most affected by the proposals said she was furious not to have been consulted in advance and is asking questions about the matter in Keys this week.

Mrs Cannell wants to know when the results of a parking consultation relating to Douglas centre will be published and she will also be questioning the impact of a proposed £25 ‘administration’ fee to issue residents’ parking permits, which are currently free.

Mr Bradley pointed out the new measures come in the wake of a 20 per cent fall in the island’s consumer economy since 2006 and rising overheads for businesses.

Strand Shopping Centre manager John Shakespeare has also voiced grave concerns over the adverse effect of new car parking charges. He too pointed to schemes run in the UK with free parking which had done much to boost town centre trade.

On page six of today’s Isle of Man Examiner, a Douglas restaurateur is so concerned about the impact of parking charges she is offering to reimburse her customers and a resident refused a bus pass because at 60 he is not yet retirement age, queries the legitimacy of such a swift change in the regulations.

Men’s League:

Celton Warriors v Giants

This men’s league game on Thursday evening saw Warriors take control right from the start with Chris Wolfendale and Harry Brindle leading the way.

Despite the best efforts of the young Giants team, they were unable to cope defensively with the all-round games of Wolfendale and Brindle.

Warriors led 42-22 at the half-time break and had stretched their lead to 79-46 by the end of the game.

Topping the scoring for Warriors were Wolfendale with a season-high of 41 points and Brindle with 20, while Mar Dato with 17, Jake Hanlon (seven) and Andy Hopkinson (six) led the scoring for Giants.

Player of the match - Harry Brindle.

Bruce Norton Turkeys

v PokerStars

Previous meetings between these two sides had proved to be closely fought contests, with PokerStars notably knocking Turkeys out of last year’s cup competition.

However, a Turkeys team re-strengthened by the welcome addition of one or two new faces as well as players returning from injury proved too much for PokerStars on this occasion.

Turkeys eased into a 17-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, combining tight defence and good transition offence with new starter Chris Smith and Svetlin Krastev leading the scoring.

Shawn McCurry was the main offensive threat for PokerStars, but Turkeys’ defence means PokerStars were restricted largely to shooting from outside.

A strong finish to the second quarter effectively ended the game as a contest with Turkeys scoring 15 points in the last three minutes to take a 38-17 half-time lead, Smith again leading the charge.

Turkeys rotated the bench in the second period which gave PokerStars the initiative and McCurry, aided by new starter Hellmon, got the scoreboard ticking over again for the Stars.

That said, Turkeys continued to keep their own scoring rate up and by the end of the fourth quarter were 50 points clear.

Krastev, Richard Smith and Dave Boyle all scored well for Turkeys but player of the match Chris Smith was the standout man with 22 points on his debut.

Elder Health Care Phillies v Microgaming Cavaliers

The only two undefeated teams in the league clashed in a gripping game that left everyone guessing the outcome until the closing minute.

Cavs edged the early lead, Wayne Mears slicing his way to the rack, but Revi Del Rosario matched with a pair of back to back threes-pointers.

In fact, Del Rosario kept on hitting the threes for the whole first half, nailing an incredible eight in a row without missing. But with every shot he made, Cavs managed to answer right back with Mears and Sean Doyle on the wing.

Paul Kilic also hit a pair of threes himself to stem the tide but neither side could establish a lead greater than five points. The fouls were racking up for Phillies though and this sent key forward Manny Dato to the bench for a long stretch and they missed his outside touch.

However, Del Rosario found it harder to get his shot off as the game progressed and, other than some smart inside play from Miguel Carillo, there wasn’t much scoring from anywhere else.

Cavs finally managed to get a double digit lead with two minutes to go which they held on to take a hard-fought win, despite the heroics of player of the game Rosario.

Great game for the watching spectators with a final score of 73-61.

Women’s League:

Paragon Legends v Fellas

Legends were looking to get back to winning ways after their defeat by Slammers the previous week but were without some players for this match.

A strong start from Fellas saw them race into a 10-0 lead, but with Wendy Owen hitting some excellent outside shots, Legends cut the deficit to four points approaching the end of the first quarter.

With Fellas using their their fast break game to good effect, they stretched their lead out to 32 - 13 by the end of the first half.

The third quarter saw the pace of the game drop with Fellas giving some good court time to their new young recruit, Jessie O’Connell, who made her debut the previous week against Saints.

Both teams traded baskets throughout the third quarter but the final period saw Fellas up the tempo again and they ran out 52-27 winners.

Top scorers for Fellas were the Carridge twins Amber and Jessie with 24 and 14 points respectively, while Wendy Owen with 16 and Catherine Cassidy with eight led the scoring for Legends. Final score 52-17 and the player of the match was Amber Carridge.

Buchanan and Pitts Slammers v Skanco Saints

The second women’s game of the evening saw Slammers take on an understrength Saints team who, despite fielding only five players, played their part in what was an entertaining and high-scoring game at the NSC.

Slammers started strongly with Sarah Gribben dominating under the boards at both ends and, with the fast-paced Magdalena Czarnecka converting fast breaks, they led 43-24 at the half-time break.

The second half continued in the same vein and, despite some fine shooting from Gemma Kirkham and Jayde Lambert of Saints, it was Slammers who ran out comfortable winners 85-42.

Topping the scoring charts for Slammers were Sarah Gribben with 27 points and Magdalena Czarnecka on 17, while Kat Keeling and Anne Clarke both reached double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Gemma Kirkham and Jayde Lambert led the scoring for Saints with 15 and 13 points. Player of the match - Magdalena Czarnecka.

‘Doing nothing is not an option.’

That was the message from Bill Henderson MHK, Treasury member responsible for social security, as he unveiled radical proposals to transform the island’s welfare system at a press conference today.

A 640-page report from consultants Ci65 Ltd says the ‘out of date and broken’ system has not kept pace with the ageing population, is based on UK policies rather than local priorities, has become too complex, and risks failing the vulnerable.

The recommended measures, which will go out to public consultation before proposals are presented to Tynwald next year, would leave existing pensioners largely unaffected.

But, if Tynwald approval is given, a new flat rate pension of £180 a week will be rolled out over 20 years from as early as 2016.

People will have to work longer to get the full state pension and the retirement age could rise more than in the UK.

Other proposals could see a cap on benefit payments and the introduction of compulsory workplace pensions.

Mr Henderson insisted that these were recommendations only.

He told reporters: ‘This is a very important day for the Isle of Man.

‘This is nothing to do with the credit crunch or the VAT agreement. Over time it has become increasingly obvious to the government that the sustainability of the NI Fund has come under question.’

Mr Henderson said over the next 30 years there will be 93 per cent increase in the number of people over the age of 65. The total benefits bill, including pensions, is £269m this year - that’s half the Manx government budget.

The NI Fund was now at a ‘critical mass’ and investment returns were having to be used to top it up, he said.

‘It’s not an option to do nothing unless we want to see the collapse of the National Insurance Fund - it’s that serious,’ he stressed.

Mr Henderson said the consultants had identified a ‘pragmatic’ way forward. If some of the recommendations are adopted transition protections would be put in place, he said. Current pensionsers won’t be affected, he said.

The recommended measures include:

*Contributing longer to qualify for a full state pension, with accrual over 45 years instead of the current 30 years. That could give the Isle of Man a higher state pension age than the UK.

*A minimum of 10 years National Insurance contributions to qualify for any pension payment.

*A new flat rate pension of £180 per week, higher than the UK equivalent and more than the current total of £166.85 per week paid to those in receipt of both basic pension and the Manx pension supplement.

*The pension supplement would be phased out for new entrants over a period of 20 years.

*The State Second Pension scheme (formerly SERPS), allowing for additional state pension, to be abolished, with transitional protection for those already in the scheme.

*A £10m a year increase in National Insurance contributions. Ci65 recommends removing the upper earnings limit for employees, dropping the employer’s rate and increasing the self-employed rate to match the employee’s rate of 11 per cent. Those working beyond state pension age would start paying employee’s rate, but employer’s contributions for such workers would be abolished.

*Compulsory workplace pensions. Only 35 per cent of the island’s working population have one – the rest rely on the state pension alone.

*A ‘New Manx Benefit’ to consolidate and simplify the existing regime of 16 working age benefits. Easier for the public to understand and less bureaucratic to administer.

*A ‘Better Off In Work’ guarantee – top-ups to ensure that people will always receive more in employment than out of it.

*Consideration of a benefit cap. The UK model means that no family can receive more than £500 per week in total benefits.

The Manx public are being warned to watch out for dodgy fireworks.

The Office of Fair Trading has contacted iomtoday.co.im to say it has received an unsubstantiated report of fireworks being sold out of a van in a pub car park.

Due to the secretive nature of the alleged sales, there is a distinct possibility that the fireworks may be banned types and/or non-compliant with the relevant safety standards.

John Peet, chief inspector of trading standards at the OFT said: ‘Do not buy fireworks from anyone selling them out of the back of a van.

‘Buy them locally from licensed shops which have been inspected by our trading standards staff or from other reputable sources. Fireworks can cause horrific personal injuries and it is simply ridiculous to even consider buying them from dodgy sources.’

Anyone with any information about the alleged sales, or anyone who has bought fireworks from someone selling them out of the back of a van should contact trading standards on 686500 or the police.

The OFT says that anyone who has bought any fireworks in this manner should not light them.

A remembrance service which would normally have been held at All Saints’ Church in Lonan is to be held at Laxey’s Methodist Church in Minorca Hill.

Secretary of the Lonan and Laxey Royal British Legion Graham Hooton made the announcement after we previously reported that the All Saints’ Church had been closed due to health and safety reasons.

The service at the methodist church will take place on Sunday, November 9 at 3pm.

If anyone requires further information please call Mr Hooton on 434063.

Fears have grown over safety at Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant after photos emerged of cracked storage ponds.

The plant, just 34 miles from the island, has caused controversy since it was completed in 1997.

The photos, published by The Guardian newspaper, show two storage ponds containing hundreds of radioactive fuel rods at the plant with cracked concrete, seagulls bathing in the water and weeds growing around derelict machinery.

A spokesman for Sellafield Ltd said that the ponds, which are 60 years old, will not be cleaned up for decades.

Nuclear safety expert John Large told The Ecologist magazine: ‘The concrete is in dreadful condition, degraded and fractured, and if the ponds drain, the Magnox fuel will ignite and that would lead to a massive release of radioactive material. I am very disturbed at the run-down condition of the structures and support services. In my opinion there is a significant risk that the system could fail.

‘I would say there’s many hundreds of tonnes in there. It could give rise to a very big radioactive release.

‘It’s not for me to make comparisons with Chernobyl or Fukushima, but it could certainly cause serious contamination over a wide area and for a very long time.’

A spokesman for the Manx Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) said: ‘The Isle of Man Government receives regular reports on the safety of Sellafield’s nuclear waste stores, some of which date back to the earliest days of the nuclear age.’

Dr Paul McKenna, senior scientist at the Isle of Man’s Government Laboratory, which is part of DEFA, is one of the representatives on the nuclear site liaison committee which meets regularly and will next meet today (Tuesday)

Dr McKenna said: ‘Sellafield stores large volumes of hazardous nuclear waste and we receive regular reports regarding the storage ponds and silos. We have also been informed of how the structural integrity of the storage ponds and silos is being maintained, to give a sufficient number of years’ lifespan to allow the clean-up projects to be completed.

‘They would not comply with modern standards if they were built today, but they are being kept tolerably safe, as they must be, for as many years as it takes to remove and repackage all of the nuclear wastes they contain.’

Think of detective agencies and it conjures up a 1950s style vision of men in raincoats lurking in dark shadows smoking filter cigs.

This somewhat hackeneyed view could not be further away from the truth with Expol Ltd.

The business will be 10 years old in February next year and it has gone from strength to strength.

During that time it has gained a cracking reputation for doing a good job and also saving ‘millions of pounds’ for insurance companies dealing with dodgy insurance claims both off and on the island, Expol’s bosses told Business News.

David Bell formed Expol Ltd when he retired as a detective chief inspector with the Manx constabulary in 2005. His colleague, former detective inspector Robert Kinrade, joined the firm as a director in 2007.

‘It started life in my back room at home’ recalled Mr Bell.

Today there are four permanent staff and the team can call on several experienced part timers when necessary.

Expol has expanded to take up two floors of an office building in Drinkwater Street, Douglas.

Mr Bell said he started the business after noticing there was a ‘niche market’ in this type of business. ‘I wasn’t entirely sure where it would take me and we have just continued to grow year on year.

‘Now we have shaped the business and branched out to different areas.

He said the the main business is as corporate risk consultants and forensic investigators

But there’s also ExpolCheck which is a pre-employment screening division, training courses and due diligence which involves vetting and screening. Debt recovery is another aspect of their work.

The men have a wide array of clients ranging from local authorities to private companies, a real cross section, they say. Mr Bell says surveillance work does sometimes figure in their operations.

He said: ‘Surveillance work will always be a part of what an investigation company does.’

Mr Bell and Mr Kinrade told Business News they had helped save ‘literally’ millions of pounds for insurance companies over work involving fraudulent insurance claims.

Mr Kinrade said: ‘We can honestly say we have saved insurance companies millions of pounds by exposing false claims both on and off the island.’

Mr Kinrade said many cases involving insurance fraud were dealt with before going to court. Many fraud cases involved claiming for alleged injuries at work. He told Business News there were cases where people had ‘completely overegged their pudding.’

The two former cops love their work which, on occasion has led them away from their desks in foreign travel on business.

‘People are picking up on the service we provide not just in the Isle of Man but further afield,’ said Mr Kinrade.

Both Mr Kinrade and Mr Bell were senior investigating officers, Home Office trained and qualified in the investigation of serious crime.

Between both directors they clocked up 47 years’ service with the Manx police force.

Last week Mr Kinrade was contacted by London radio station LBC to comment on the apparent security breach when UK PM David Cameron was pushed by a jogger.

Mr Kinrade said he welcomed the review of security. He and Mr Bell used to volunteer for protection duties, when they were serving officers, for royals and top political figures who visited the island.

Mr Bell said it was no surpise there was a global aspect to their work involving due diligence and vetting procedures when Isle of Man companies and trusts had an international flavour to them.

Mr Bell added it was important to note that since the economic crisis of 2008 companies and businesses had become much more careful about who they did business with.

‘There is more of a tendency now to check out who you are doing business with rather than just relying on the old business practices that used to exist.’

Training courses on internet safety run by Expol have also attracted people from the UK.

Expol is a leading provider of risk consultancy and forensic investigation services. We can assist you in resolving, mitigating and avoiding complex, commercial and personal challenges.

Our team has extensive experience of advising corporates, eGaming sector, financial institutions and private clients on matters of fraud, asset tracing, litigation, criminal defence, commercial disputes, planning and crisis management.

The Expol group consisting of Expol Limited, ExpolCheck and ExpolCollect enables clients to benefit from a combination of services using highly experienced specialists.

Confidentiality and discretion are guaranteed.

A full member of the Association of British Investigators, former Detective Chief Inspector David Bell is an experienced and accredited former Senior Investigating Officer, Crime Manager, Incident Commander, Hostage Negotiator and Close Protection Officer. Having held a number of senior police posts, he has the distinction of having been previously vetted by the U K Home Office. David has developed the reputation as being a specialist in global, enhanced due diligence enquiries. He has forged strong links with the finance and corporate sector on the Island.

Rob Kinrade, recently retired as a Detective Inspector and in his Police career headed the Drug Squad, Surveillance Unit and Serious Crime Unit. He is a qualified and accredited Senior Investigating Officer in covert and overt operations, Firearms Instructor, Special Branch Officer and Close Protection Officer. Rob leads in the Training Division of the company and is currently working closely with the eGaming industry on the Island to provide a holistic service to their management of risk.

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A disgruntled would be bus traveller was annoyed to be refused a bus pass because new rules are already in place just days after being announced.

Derek Wiggall thought he could beat a rise in the bus pass eligibility age by applying for one immediately before new measures came into force to raise the age to 65 but was told the measures were already in place and he was too late.

Measures to restrict bus passes to those over the state retirement age were announced recently by the Department of Infrastructure which also said so-called grandfather rights would apply meaning those aged under 65 who already had a bus pass would not need to relinquish it.

Mr Wiggall, who lives in Ramsey, said various reports on the change in the rules, including the one on the DOI’s own website, said an implementation date was yet to be confirmed.

‘I spent £5 on passport photographs to get one to submit with my concessionary travel card application. Imagine my surprise and annoyance when I was told the DoI had introduced the measure to raise the age for the travel card from 60 to 65 immediately, on the very day the story appeared.’

He added: ‘A lady in front of me was caught out by this too. There are going to be some very annoyed people.’

In addition, the Isle of Man transport web site now says the minimum travel card age is state retirement age and qualifying applicants must also have been an Isle of Man resident for at least six months The passes allow free travel with Bus Vannin and on Isle of Man Railways.

Now Mr Wiggall says he wants to know how the change could have come into force without actually being formally announced and whether it will be announced retrospectively.

‘I would also like to know if they are going to apologise for misleading people and I think it should be brought to people’s attention what has happened and the way in which it has been handled.’

A spokesman for the government’s Department of Infrastructure said: ‘There is no requirement in the relevant legislation, the Transport Act, for notice to be given to implement the change to bus pass provision. The diecision on bus passes reflects government policy to bring the provision of certain services in line with the state retirement age.

‘Following the announcement on October 22, the department has stopped issuing new bas passes for people over 60 but under the state pension age. However all those who already have passes but have not reached retirement age will be allowed to continue to use them.’

A DOI statement reminded people they could apply for a pass through the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal as the passes are not issued by the post office.

The bus pass announcement was one of a string of measures announced by the DOI last month. Other measures included a £25 charge for residents applying for a residents’ parking permit, a reduction in the length of stay for cars left in the reverse parking spaces on Loch Promenade, and pay and display charges for vehicles left on the promenade walkway.

The reduction from two hours’ stay to one on the Loch Promenade reverse parking comes into effect in January. Implementation dates for the other measures will be announced soon, the DoI has said.

Douglas will be staging its Bonfire Night celebrations tomorrow (Friday) night.

Proceedings get under way at 7pm with a best guy competition at the War Memorial on the promenade. Anyone wishing to take part should take their entries to the staged area from 6.30pm.

The bonfire will be lit at 7.15pm followed by a fireworks display at 7.30pm.

A fireworks display will also be taking place Michael School tomorrow, starting at 7pm.

Admission is free but donations are welcome on the gate. Kirk Michael Chippy will be in attendance to provide refreshments.

Organisers say the event will go ahead ‘unless the weather is appalling’.

l Email your Bonfire Night and fireworks pictures to newsdesk@newsiom.co.im

The island has a new director of tourism – a post that was scrapped three and a half years ago.

Robin Bischert has been appointed director of tourism and the visitor economy for a three year fixed term.

He says he is looking forward to developing the island’s potential as a ‘unique and distinctive’ destination.

The last director, Rod Nipper, had been just two years in the job when he was ousted in April 2011 in a reorganisation that halved the dedicated tourism division.

Before taking up his new role this month, Mr Bischert was interim chief executive at the Royal Greenwich Destination Management Company where he oversaw marketing during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Before that, he spent seven years as chief executive of Bath Tourism Plus Limited, a public and private sector partnership.

Mr Bischert also has broad strategic leadership experience having been a management consultant with Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK and Middle East, and having had senior management roles with Wembley Stadium Group and Parkwood Leisure Limited.

Mr Bischert said ‘I have spent the last few weeks meeting with key industry stakeholders to understand the main issues they face.

‘I’m looking forward to working closely with these public and private sector partners in developing the Isle of Man’s true potential as a unique and distinctive visitor destination’.

David Cretney MHK, the Department of Economic Development’s political member with responsibility for tourism, said: ‘I am delighted that in Robin Bischert we have secured the services of such a highly respected and experienced individual.

‘The visitor economy is a vital sector as it supports thousands of local jobs and provides the infrastructure for our tourism, hospitality, retail and leisure services.

‘As highlighted in the Vision2020 strategy, it also supports creation of our lifestyle advantages and good transport links important for all our business sectors.’

Details of the Welfare State shake-up dominate this week’s Manx Independent.

There could be big changes on the way for pensions and benefits.

This week’s special edition has more.

Also this week, an MHK tells us why he believes the island’s tax cap simply isn’t working.

We talk to a doctor from the Isle of Man who’s treating people with ebola in Sierra Leone.

We report on a court case in which 25-year-old man assaulted a 15-year-old boy at the TT funfair.

Our reporter was in the House of Keys when Phil Gawne, the Infrastructure Minister, described his own proposal for payments for parking permits ‘ridiculous’.

In this week’s 72-page edition, we look forward to a number of Christmas events and have a Christmas countdown.

With 12 action-packed pages of sport, your opinions, the Isle of Man’s What’s On guide and your seven-day television guide, the Manx Independent is a great read this week.