David Cretney has offered to resign from his position as a government minister after leaking a confidential Council of Ministers document to a constituent.
That offer has been rejected.
News of the leak came today (Thursday) at Tynwald’s Social Affairs Policy Committee. Giving evidence were Amy Burns and Lisa Morris, who spearheaded an unsuccessful campaign to keep state-run pre-school nurseries.
Mrs Burns sensationally revealed that her constituency MHK Mr Cretney, the Minister for Infrastructure, had given her a confidential CoMin paper ahead of a cabinet meeting on March 10.
She passed that paper, which was marked ‘confidential’ to the committee, whose chairman Brenda Cannell MHK said: ‘It’s most concerning that a private and confidential paper to CoMin should be circulated so freely. There may well be a breach I will leave others to consider.’
No details about the contents of the papers were revealed in the hearing but Mrs Burns told iomtoday.co.im afterwards that they were the finding of the CoMin working party set up to look at the pre-school issue.
Mr Cretney this evening wrote to fellow members of Tynwald to say sorry for breaching CoMin confidentiality.
In his letter he says: ‘In retrospect, it is quite clear that I should not have passed this information on to my constituent and I sincerely apologise to all members for this breach.’
He adds there was ‘great distress and concern’ among parents of children at pre-schools, which he referred to in a speech in the February Tynwald.
The paper explained the Department of Education and Children’s position, he tells members of Tynwald in his letter.
‘As Amy had been in regular contact with me as her constituency MHK, I felt that on a strictly confidential basis it would help her to understand the department’s proposal,’ he tells Tynwald members.
‘I asked her if she had any issues with it to let me know and I could raise her concerns in the vacuum of any formal consultation.
‘I now realise completely that this was not appropriate, but in my defence felt that communication with parents was lacking.
‘The paper contained information which was subsequently placed in the public domain, having been presented to Tynwald members and the media.’
He goes on to apologise again but adds: ‘I have always tried to be open and honest and I recognise this has rebounded on me because of the action I took at the time.’
Mr Cretney continues: ‘I have today offered my resignation and apologies to the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers as Minister of the Department of Infrastructure, which they have not accepted.
‘They have stated their combined confidence in my experience and work for which I am most grateful.
‘I trust in times ahead we can continue the good work currently being undertaken in the Council of Ministers’ public meetins and also in our communication with the public whom we serve.’
The pre-school education issue saw all three members of the Department of Education and Children leave their positions in the department. Dudley Butt MLC resigned. John Houghton MHK and Zac Hall MHK were sacked for not backing the department in Tynwald.
Last week, the Minister for Education and Children, Peter Karran, was sacked by the Chief Minister when he broke ranks with the Council of Ministers over a proposal to invest in the Pinewood film studios.