An outdoor children’s forest school in Laxey will have to be rebuilt after being destroyed by floods.

The Forest School in Laxey Glen was ruined by the island’s recent flash floods and will be out of use for at least the next three months.

Run by The Children’s Centre, the school aims to develop children’s confidence and self-esteem through hands on learning experiences in the forest.

Chris Gregory, play and playwork manager at The Children’s Centre, said the charity met the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture’s forestry board, who said the damage at the outdoor school meant the equipment would have to be removed and rebuilt.

As well as the forestry school, a children’s playground in the glen has also been damaged by the floods.

Chris said: ‘We take school groups there to make dens and rope swings and things like that, but unfortunately due to what has happened we can’t go there anymore.

‘We wanted to put something new there, so now we can build something which will be a bit more interesting – it’s going to be new and exciting for the children!’

The charity would like to build new timber climbing frames and have lots of loose outdoor nature equipment, which children can move around and use for activities.

In the meantime the forest school is being held at Silverdale Glen and the charity is welcoming help from anybody who would like to donate money or help with the rebuild.

Chris said: ‘I think in the island, or anywhere for that matter, children need to play outside and that is happening less and less. Children are missing out on their childhood by not being outdoors.’

If you would like to help with the forestry school project or find out more information email Chris at chrisgregory@thechildrenscentre.org.im

Community youth group Revolution will meet on Christmas Day at Peel’s Corrin Hall.

The group is run jointly by the Cathedral Church of St German and Living Hope Community Church West.

Children and youth worker at the cathedral, Ruth Walker said: ‘We meet every Friday night, each week of the year for anyone in school years 7 to 13 between 7 and 10pm. We spilt the evening into three hour-long sections during which young people can come and go as they wish.

‘The first hour, we think and talk about God, faith and the church. This might be to do with something that’s happening in the world at the moment. We might try and answer a question one of the young people might have.

‘Between 8 and 9pm we try and have some kind of organised activity – this might be human battleships, craft, Wii, pool or table football tournaments, boardgames or whatever else we can think of.

‘Then between 9 and 10pm we let everyone choose what to do. We still have the pool and table football tables available, but we also allow bikes and scooters with the bike ramp, dodgeball, frisbee or whatever else you can think of.’

Ruth added: ‘This year Christmas Day falls on a Friday, and to keep up our tradition of opening every week, we will be open even on Christmas Day. In the three years since we have started we have only missed six sessions: one when it snowed, one the other week in the storm and four when PBM [Peel Beach Mission] needed the hall.

‘As is it Christmas we will be open between 8 to 10pm and hope people come along.

‘If you can’t make it, then we will resume our normal opening times of 7-10pm on January 1, as we are also open on New Year’s Day.’

A Glen Maye man has been handed an award for this work in the community.

Gordon Clague was presented with the Parish Award by Captain of the Parish of Patrick, Pat Costain, at Glen Maye Chapel Carol Service.

The Parish Award is presented by the Captain of the Parish in recognition of the person’s services to the community.

Farmer Gordon lives with his wife Claire and two children at Ballacreggan Farm in Glen Maye.

Mrs Costain said: ‘Gordon is often found helping his fellow farmers at a minute’s notice. His interests and involvement in the local community are numerous.

‘He has helped Glen Maye Chapel raise thousands of pounds for their renovations by giving his barn for numerous events.

‘He also gives his time and cooking skills, nothing is too much trouble and he helps with such enthusiasm. Gordon also supports other churches in the area, especially at Dalby.

‘He is a great worker at the ploughing matches and is chairman of the Cronk–y-Voddy Ploughing Committee and secretary of the Isle of Man Ploughing Association. His Manx broth is famous and goes down a treat on a cold day at the matches.

Mrs Costain added: ‘Gordon is also secretary of the Cronk-y-Voddy Produce Show which is very popular as are the Tynwald Day sports, both give the proceeds to charity. Gordon is in the midst of the action erecting marquees and setting up tables.

‘He is a director of Central Marts which is one of the hubs of the agricultural community and works tirelessly for the Royal Manx Agricultural Show culminating in him being the president this year. He has such energy – he is an asset to any team.

‘During the snow in March 2013 Gordon cleared the main road in Glen Maye so the community could function, also clearing driveways for those less able before seeing to his own stock. It shows he puts others first and goes the extra mile.’

Tony Callister, chairman of the Isle of Man Ploughing Society, said: ‘The work that Gordon does with a small group of like-minded people helps brings the community together and that is important in this day and age.’

Should members of Tynwald get paid to sit on parliamentary committees?

Tynwald this month unanimously approved a raft of a recommendations by a select committee set up to review the committee system, including a call for the emoluments committee to look again at the question of remuneration for committee roles.

Lib Van MHK Peter Karran (Onchan) proposed an amendment that members of the Public Accounts Committee or policy review committees who should get an extra 30 or 40 per cent in recognition of their scrutiny role.

His second amendment aimed to prevent political members from having a seat on these scrutiny committees.

He said: ‘I know that we will have the diatribe in this court about how we want to save money and we are feathering our own nests, and all this sort of nonsense.

‘The fact is that what we need to do is create the independence of people not trying to be gamekeeper and poacher at the same time. As the only member in Tynwald who actually voted against the ministerial system, I thought for many years, with so many great social changes, that maybe I had got it wrong. But my concerns and reservations are coming home to roost.’

Political members of departments get an extra 30 per cent on top of their basic salary but members or chairman of Tynwald committees have never got any extra pay.

In Tynwald in 2011, the court approved the principle that if in future there was to be a full time chairman of the Policy Review Committee or Public Accounts Committee then they should not be financially worse off than if they had been a department member.

That same year a report by the emoluments committee recommended that in principle PAC and scrutiny committee members should be entitled to 30 per cent and while the chairman should get 40 per cent – the 30 per cent to be implemented immediately and the 40 per cent as soon as the public sector pay freeze ended. But the order to bring in this move did not win Tynwald approval.

The select committee concluded the committee system has operated successfully since 2011 despite the fact that the remuneration envisaged at that time has not been put in place - and the arguments for and against that remain the same. It recommended that the emoluments committee should look again at the question of remuneration for committee roles.

Juan Watterson MHK, chairman on the select committee set up to look at the committee system, said: ‘A properly functioning committee system is essential to the workings of an effective parliamentary democracy.

‘It is responsible for holding the executive to account in spending public money and contributing to the debate and generation of ideas in order to improve the island for the good of our people. So there is no doubt that the committee system is a worthwhile cause.

‘There are always things you can do to improve, but it is important to acknowledge that the system we have is working well.’

But Mr Karran’s amendments were defeated and the select committee’s report and its findings were passed unanimously.

Among its other recommendations was that PAC and policy review committees should consider publishing their plans well in advance and should consider routinely publishing written evidence as it is received rather than at end of the inquiry.

The three policy review committees came into operation in February 2012, with the job of holding government to account by investigating existing and developing policy.

They have considerable powers to request witnesses to appear and order the production of documents and papers.

A thief assaulted a homeowner last night as he stole her bicycle.

The incident happened at about 8.55pm.

The man entered the front garden of a property on Derby Road, Douglas, and attempted to steal a push bike stored in the garden area.

He was disturbed by the home owner and while escaping he pushed her to the ground.

Officers are appealing for information regarding this incident.

If you were in the area at the time and witnessed this incident or have any information about the thief, contact Constable Amie Brew at Lord Street police station on 631212.

An important decision is due from the European Commission over whether a set of new genetic manipulation techniques should be regarded as ‘genetic modification’. As GM crops are outlawed in the Isle of Man, despite our not being part of the EU, it’ll be as important for us to keep an eye on this as it will for our neighbours over the water, says IoM Friends of the Earth’s Cat Turner

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

The European Commission’s decision, due next month, over whether a set of seven new genetic manipulation techniques should be regarded as ‘genetic modification’ (GM) isn’t just an academic exercise.

If the techniques are determined to be GM, then the resulting organisms will be regulated much more tightly than if they are not – and the food and seed produced with them will be labelled as GM.

So what are these new techniques?

Well, it must be said that they do, in fact, all involve genetic engineering.

They’re:

– Oligonucleotide Directed Mutagenesis (ODM);

– Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology (ZFN);

– Cisgenesis and Intragenesis;

– Grafting;

– Agro-infiltration;

– RNA-dependent DNA methylation (RdDM); and

– Reverse breeding.

ODM and ZFN are ‘gene editing’ techniques, which make changes to existing genes – rather than adding extra ones (though ZFN can be used to add genes).

Cisgenesis and intragenesis are forms of GM that use genes from the same species.

RdDM is a new way to ‘silence’ genes.

Grafting, agro-infiltration and reverse breeding are new ways of using GMOs in the breeding process.

The list doesn’t, as yet, include two more gene-editing techniques that have received a fair bit of attention in the media: TALEN and CRISPR.

A number of organisations which focus on consumer and environmental issues, and civil society organisations concerned with the integrity of the food chain and the right to democratic choice over food safety and security, have been campaigning to ensure that organisms produced by these techniques will, indeed, be regulated and labelled as GM.

Their concerns include the fact that while the techniques are intended to be precise in how they’re used, that doesn’t necessarily make them ‘safe’.

Indeed, their risks are very much the same as those for many more ‘traditional’ GM techniques.

That’s to say:

– Precision isn’t the same as predictability, and it doesn’t ensure it. All of the techniques listed can give rise to unexpected, and potentially very damaging, effects.

– Any problems that do occur will be incredibly difficult to put right. Genetic pollution cannot be simply ‘mopped up’, it can leave a long and devastating legacy of environmental, economic and public health problems.

– Many of these techniques are so new that very little’s known about how they work and what could go wrong . More testing, and more independent testing, is definitely required before they’re let loose on an unsuspecting public.

– The products they produce will be patented, handing more control from farmers to big biotech companies. As readers of this column will know, the hijacking of our food systems, and the damage to ecology, human wellbeing and agricultural livelihoods is of as much concern as are the more immediate issues surrounding consumption of GM produce.

Campaigning groups such as GM Freeze (www.gmfreeze.org) help create a world in which our food is produced responsibly, fairly and sustainably and with the very reasonable expectation that they should be regulated.

The government has announced some good news for ratepayers.

The amount of money charged to local authorities for using the incinerator is to be frozen.

Changes, which will come into effect from April 2016, will see the Department of Infrastructure freeze the overall rate paid by local authorities for the disposal of residual domestic waste at the incinerator, which it calls the or Energy from Waste (EfW) plant, for the 2016-17 financial year.

But it will also provide new incentives for local authorities to recycle.

The department says the new charging mechanism is intended to help local authorities to plan their finances with more certainty.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: ‘This important change means that local authorities will not face continuing increases in their total EfW gate fees in the years ahead.

‘This will be welcome news for local authorities and their ratepayers. The financial challenges faced by government are also being felt by local authorities and many people in the Isle of Man. By freezing waste disposal fees and {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/rents-to-rise-for-social-housing-tenants-1-7607777|capping the increase to public sector rents in line with inflation}, the department is recognising these budgetary pressures.’

He added: ‘The collaborative work on waste management is a key part of efforts to modernise the relationship between central and local government. All parties are seeking to improve service delivery and achieve greater value for money for the Manx public.’

The Waste Management Working Group, made up of the DoI and representatives of the island’s 24 local authorities, is ‘exploring ways of encouraging local authorities to refocus their approach to recycling on achieving better environmental outcomes’.

This will include a higher level of charges for local authorities who do not meet proposed new standards for removing incombustible and environmentally damaging items from household waste.

Mr Gawne said: ‘The current charging regime has led to local authorities concentrating their efforts on recycling heavy materials, rather than those that may be more beneficial for the environment.

‘For example, green garden waste is capable of being recycled into high quality compost, which reduces the need to import such products.

‘New incentives will put the emphasis on doing what is best for our environment.’

Charges to local authorities for the disposal of residual domestic waste at the incinerator are calculated by multiplying the number of tonnes delivered by the rate per tonne.

The rate per tonne includes a variable element and a contribution to the fixed costs of operating the plant.

The current rate (£79.50/tonne for domestic waste) comprises 100 per cent of the variable cost of operating the plant (£20.49/tonne) and a contribution to the fixed costs of £59.01/tonne.

In future, local authorities will pay a proportion of the fixed costs of operation, calculated on a per capita basis, as a fixed annual charge – and a per tonne charge of £20.49.

Commercially derived waste will continue to be charged at the current commercial rate of £160/tonne.

Palace Cinema

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 3D, (12A). Nightly at 7pm. 2D, daily at 2pm.

• Sisters, (15). Nightly at 7.30pm.

• The Good Dinosaur, (PG), daily at 2.30pm and 4.30pm.

A Member of the Legislative Council will appear in court on Thursday, December 31, charged with driving with excess alcohol.

Tony Wild MLC, aged 57, of Fairy Cottage, Lonan, is a political member of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The incident is alleged to have occurred on December 12.

He has been bailed to attend court on New Year’s Eve.

Should everyone have to be able to prove their identity when they get a ferry to the Isle of Man?

That’s what the public is now being asked in a consultation exercise that was launched today.

The Department of Home Affairs is inviting feedback on the possibility of introducing border identity checks for people travelling to and from the Isle of Man by sea.

Identity measures at sea ports are being considered as a way of enhancing the safety of the Isle of Man and its residents.

The department says it believes that a requirement for people to verify their identity before travelling by sea would help to combat crime.

The Chief Constable’s annual report for 2014-15 highlighted the vulnerability of our borders as the biggest threat to national security.

The report said action was needed to prevent the island being seen as a soft target by criminals who travel under a false name to commit offences such as drug smuggling and money laundering.

People entering and leaving the island via sea ports are currently not required to produce photographic identification. The public consultation is seeking the views of individuals and businesses on whether this needs to change to aid the detection of criminal activity.

The proposal would require people travelling by sea to show one of 14 valid forms of identification – such as a driving licence, passport or bus pass – when checking in.

This would have an impact on ferry boarding times and result in a need for additional staff and new facilities for foot passengers and vehicle drivers waiting to pass through the border checks.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK said: ‘I recognise that the possibility of introducing legislation to require identity checks at harbours is a contentious issue.

‘It is essential to ensure we balance the need for enhanced border identity measures alongside any inconvenience to the travelling public and additional cost for our ferry operators.

‘However, I share the Chief Constable’s concern that taking no action could leave the island vulnerable to drug smuggling, financial crime and the export of stolen goods.’

He added: ‘Public safety is our primary concern.

‘We need to at least consider and debate whether ID checks should be put in place to protect our Island and its people. I want to hear the views of residents and the business community so that the Department can make an informed decision on whether or not to take this proposal forward.’

The consultation document is available to view on the government website.

{https://www.gov.im/ConsultationDetail.gov?id=556|Click here for details.}

Written responses should be sent to Karl Cubbon, Legislation and Policy Officer, Chief Executive’s Office, Department of Home Affairs Headquarters, Tromode Road, Douglas, IM2 5PA, or emailed to dhaconsultation@gov.im

The deadline for submissions is February 12.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/passport-plan-for-boat-journeys-designed-to-cut-crime-1-7503264|How we reported this suggestion when it was first mooted}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/home-affairs-minister-tells-scrutiny-committee-we-are-not-seeking-to-bring-in-passport-controls-1-7598374|The Home Affairs Minister has been before a scrutiny committee asking questions about the proposal}

This was the scene earlier this afternoon when an accident blocked the road at Cronk-ny-Mona in Onchan.

Police, the fire service and the ambulance dealt with a collision at the top of Johnny Watterson’s Lane on the Mountain Road.

No serious injuries were reported and the road opened again at about 2.30pm.

Laura Kinley and Charlotte Atkinson became the first Team IoM swimmers to achieve 2018 Commonwealth Games consideration times when competing in the Amsterdam Cup recently.

Representing Loughborough University against a world-class field, they recorded the times in their preferred events of the 50m, 100m and 200m in breaststroke and butterfly respectively.

It was then back to the shorter pool for Kinley and Atkinson as they joined up with three team-mates to compete in the ASA short course winter meet in Sheffield the following weekend, the team setting seven new senior island records and achieving 13 short course consideration times for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Atkinson set a new island record in the heats of the 100m butterfly, while in the final she went even faster to set a new mark of 58.83s and finish fourth. She was sixth in the 200m butterfly in 2:10.88, while the 50m butterfly saw her finish second in the B final with a time of 27.22.

She achieved 2018 consideration times in all three events and also competed in the 50m freestyle, finishing in 26.75.

Kinley was not to be outdone, setting a new island record in the 100m breaststroke heats and finishing ninth in the final. She won the 50m breaststroke B final in 31.62, achieving 2018 consideration times in both events. Laura also competed in the 50m freestyle, touching in 26.37.

Niamh Robinson undoubtedly had the busiest programme, swimming in six events and setting new personal bests in each one. She set a new island record in the heats of the 100m individual medley and then swam faster in the final to pick up a bronze medal in a time of 1:02.04.

In the 200m IM, Robinson finished fourth, again setting new island records in both the heats and finals, her latter time being 2:12.86. In the 100m breaststroke final she finished closely behind Kinley in 10th place in a time of 1:08.52, while she was ninth in the 50m B final in a time of 32.36. Niamh finished the 50m butterfly in 28.02 and the 50m backstroke in 29.13.

She achieved 2018 consideration times in the 200m IM, 100m breaststroke and 50m backstroke.

Guy Davies competed in the three breaststroke events, setting a couple of season’s bests in the process. In the 50m he finished in 30.59, then swam the 100m in 1:05.30 and the 200m in 2:22.94.

Alex Bregazzi competed in two events in Sheffield despite being ill. In the 100m individual medley he finished in 1:00.12 while in the 200m freestyle he recorded 1:54.43.

While his Glasgow team-mates were competing in Sheffield, Tom Bielich enjoyed a fine competition at the City of Bristol Short Course Open Meet.

He won the 100m freestyle in a new island record of 51.56, beating the time set by Grant Halsall shortly before he travelled to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Isle of Man swimmers have contested several off-island competitions recently, notably the Amsterdam Cup and British Disability Championships.

The newly-formed Microgaming Para-Swimming Isle of Man team were competing at the British Disability Championships in Manchester.

The three team members, 12-year-old Ben Grainger, 15-year-old Tom Callister and 11-year-old Letisha Ellis, found themselves in tough company made up of more than 10 Paralympians from London 2012 as well as numerous world and British record holders.

Ben, an S10 swimmer with a condition called amniotic banding, is missing most of his left hand below his wrist, while Tom is an S9 swimmer with the same condition but affected from his right elbow. Letisha is an S15 category swimmer who wears dual cochlear implants, without which she is profoundly deaf.

For Ben, the job was to improve on his tally of medals from last year’s championships which included two gold. This was surpassed with his personal haul of medals that included three gold and two silver in the British 13-and-under category. The golds were claimed in the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly, while the silvers arrived in the 400m freestyle and 100m breaststroke.

Tom, a relative latecomer to the sport, finished day one of his first championships with somewhat of a surprise bronze medal in the British 14-17 age group 200m individual medley to accompany his fourth and fifth places in 100m freestyle and 100m breaststroke.

Callister was discovered in a chance meeting while in a fun session at Western Swimming Pool with national coach Lee Holland. He has been competing for less than two years with Isle of Man Swimming and continues to make astounding progress.

Letisha had to be satisfied with improving personal best times in her events on the first day, with new standards that obliterated her previous bests by more than 10 seconds.

However, day two arrived and the pair of races across Sunday’s sessions saw more personal best times, only this time accompanied with silver medals in the British 13-and-under S15 400m freestyle and the 100m butterfly.

From the swim times recorded at the championships, both Ben and Tom have qualified to compete in Glasgow in April at the Team GB Rio 2016 Paralympic trials.

Manx National Heritage is looking for two people who’d like to work on the Calf of Man

The ornithology warden is responsible for monitoring and ringing of the resident populations of chough, Manx shearwater, peregrine, hen harriers, storm petrel, shag and many other passage migrant and sea bird species, as well as maintaining daily bird logs and all other necessary data in connection with the proper running of the observatory.

The estate warden’s role encompasses habitat management and the general management of visitors to the Calf.

To express interest in either position, write or email to Shaun Murphy, Manx National Heritage, Manx Museum, Kingswood Grove, Douglas, IM1 3LY shaun.murphy@gov.im with full contact details by no later than Friday, January 8.

The winners of Isle of Man Newspapers’ competition to win a Christmas lunch package, winning a dinner service, glasses, tree, crackers and £100 Shoprite vouchers were Gerard and Millice Trehy, who live in Laureston View, Douglas.

Gerard answered the question ‘In the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” what type of bird was in the pear tree?” correctly with partridge.

The competition featured in the Manx Independent earlier this month.

Gerard and Millice had their photo taken at Shoprite’s branch in Victoria Road, Douglas, when they got their prize.

Pictured, from left, Chris Sheen (Gerard and Millice’s daughter), Sally-Ann Maiden of Isle of Man Newspapers, Gerard Trehy (winner), Millice Trehy and Shoprite representatives Bleddyn Gilmore and Amanda Noble.

Pick up a copy of Tuesday’s Isle of Man Examiner to be in with a chance of winning flights to Belfast.

More than 306 new victims and witnesses were referred to the Victim Support charity during the last year.

At its annual meeting recently, the organisation’s chairman David Craine said he was honoured to be its leader.

‘The organisation provides a unique service to victims of crime in the Isle of Man and during the year we have continued to excel at giving that support and advice to victims of crime and witnesses in court proceedings,’ he said.

The bulk of the charity’s work is connected with physical and sexual assaults.

He said they had benefited from meetings with their counterparts in the England, Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands.

‘All these forums provide invaluable information to keep us up to date with the latest thinking on victim support. Grateful thanks must also go to our volunterers,’ he said.

Former High Bailiff and patron of the charity, Michael Moyle, said he was honoured to be involved and echoed Mr Craine’s praise for the volunteers.

Anyone interested in volunteering contact 679950 or email iomvictimsupport@manx.net

Manx Telecom plans to remove the payphone at Stanley Mount, Ramsey, on grounds that usage has fallen below 40 chargeable calls in the past 12 months, with revenue amounting to just £1.45.

Ramsey commissioners last week discussed what would happen to the kiosk.

Members agreed to Alex Allinson’s suggestion that they enquire how much it would cost to purchase, with a view to re-using it in another form.

A young backpacker who put her trip around Eastern Europe on hold to help refugees has reported back on the latest situation on the Macedonian-Serbian border.

Ayren-Marie Kelly, 25, a locum pharmacist from Ballaugh, had been travelling in Croatia and the Balkans, with the aim of heading north into the Baltic States and then Russia but her plans all changed when she arrived in Belgrade in October.

In the Serbian capital she met a group of people at her hostel who invited her down to the refugee aid centre behind the main bus station.

Within a few days, she was on a minibus on her way to the border town of Preševo, which found itself on the frontline of the refugee crisis with some 5,000-10,000 refugees, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, passing through each day.

Since then however, the situation has stabilised.

Currently back home in Ballaugh, she said: ‘The original crossing to Croatia via Berkasovo was closed and now all refugees are going via Šid railway station into Croatia’s camp Slavonski Brod.

‘Dimitrovgrad on the Bulgarian-Serbian border sees fairly small numbers of refugees, as many are unwilling to make the journey through Bulgaria, due to police brutality – including beatings, theft of documents, imprisonment and so on. It truly is horrific!

‘Right now the situation across the Balkans has changed dramatically, as there is racial segregation happening at the Macedonian-Greek border crossing of Eidomeni, where only Syrian, Afghani and Iraqi refugees are being allowed to continue along the Balkan route. All other nationalities are being refused entry and classed as economic migrants or, as we see them, “the forgottens”.

‘There was a strong army presence and a lot of violence there recently, with some days 8,000 people stranded with no water, food or shelter. The camp was the scene of a mass eviction, with thousands of refused refugees being shipped off in a bus back to Athens.’

Ayren says there are serious problems with violence in the refugee centre in Athens where toilets are overflowing and health needs are being neglected.

She has appealed for donations to pay for food, water, clothing and blankets. Go to her fundraising page at www.gofundme.com/3rfc46ks

A total of 62 government staff have been suspended on full pay in the past two years, figures released in Tynwald reveal.

Of those 62 suspended since April 2013, 59 were for a period of more than 10 days.

The figures were given by Chief Minister Allan Bell in a written reply to a question from Lib Van MHK Peter Karran (Onchan).

They reveal that of the 62 cases, 12 ended in dismissal.

There were seven written warnings and six final written warnings.

Ten of the 62 proved to be unfounded and there was no case to answer.

Mr Bell said it was not possible to provide a full breakdown of all suspensions by each individual department, board or office because of data protection rules. The information was therefore provided by employment group to protect individuals who could be identified by their location.

The Chief Minister said in his written answer that there was no evidence of any one department disproportionately issuing suspensions or using the fairness at work policy.

Mr Bell said: ‘Since April 2013 there have been 42 cases involving the fairness at work policy (formerly the Bullying and Harassment Policy) reported to the Office of Human Resources and of these no reported cases where the individual was suspended.

‘The number of cases generally correlates to the size of the department, and there is no evidence to suggest that any one department is displaying disproportionate incidence of suspension or usage of the fairness at work policy.

‘It should be noted that the fairness at work policy places a greater emphasis on using an informal process and mediation, and records suggest that this approach is successful in de-escalating cases before they reach the formal stage.’

The fairness at work policy replaced the 2009 prevention of bullying, harassment and victimisation at work policy in January this year.

The Christmas Eve edition of the Manx Independent is in the shops now.

Among the stories:

Fishing skipper’s huge fine for breaking law

Hundreds of objections to promenade scheme

Man grew his own cannabis

Man hid knives in his walking frame

We also have a great Christmas puzzles section.

The Manx Independent is in the shops now.