A Programme for Government, funding for nursing and residential care, the storage of dredged silt and the reform of the jury system dominate the order paper at this week’s Tynwald sitting.
Chief Minister Howard Quayle will set out the guiding principles and objectives of the new Council of Ministers - with a pledge to returns to Tynwald in January with a full Programme for Government, which will be updated and debated every October.
A report looking at the funding of care home costs will also be debated. The select committee report recommends the setting up of a separate fund and controversially it suggests ‘exploiting’ capital assets to fund the costs of care. People have been forced to sell their homes to cover weekly fees for residential care ranging from £250-700, and £850-925.11 a week for nursing care.
Committee chairman Chris Robertshaw also chaired a committee inquiry into the jury system. The report recommends that the option of a judge-only trial on information be allowed to defendants as a right and where it is not practicable to empanel a jury, and that the number of those serving on juries should be increased to 12 for all cases involving a maximum sentence of over 10 years, a majority of 10 members allowed.
But the report accepts that many in the criminal justice system feel that no cases up to now would have warranted a trial by judge only. There appeared, too, to be luke warm support for increasing the size of juries or allowing majority verdicts.
Tynwald will also debate a report into the dredging of potentially contaminated silt from Peel marina. The environment and infrastructure policy review committee praises the Department of Infrastructure and Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture for the way they responded to a critical situation.
But it notes that the DoI said with hindsight the original design of the marina was flawed and silt should have been removed as part of a regular maintenance regime.
The report recommends that DoI report to Tynwald by January 2017 with costed plans for the replacement of the temporary storage facility off the Poortown Road and a detailed planned maintenance programme for Peel Marina for the next three years.
Turning to the question paper, there are 21 questions for oral answer and seven for written reply.
LibVan MHK for Ramsey, Lawrie Hooper will ask Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan what plans he has to freeze water rates, sewerage charges and electricity tariffs and to review the work of the Manx Utilities Authority.
Mr Hooper will also ask Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer for a figure for the total cost to date of all expenditure incurred on the Douglas
Promenade scheme.
Tim Crookall MLC will ask new DEFA Minister Geoffrey Boot to make a statement on the king scallop industry; and what he is doing to maximise the best return for the Isle of Man and those in the industry.
His question follows concerns at the large numbers of visiting vessels that converged on Manx waters for the start of the scallop season.
Douglas North MHK David Ashford has questions about the tax cap, asking the Treasury Minister how many tax cappers were already resident in the island before the introduction of the policy; and how many of their companies were already in existence.