Latest news with #LaurenceSkelly
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Funding constraints prevent tuition fee threshold rise
Calls to increase disability support and the lower income thresholds for tuition fees help for Manx students have not been accepted by ministers. Last month the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) made 13 recommendations to reform the government's Student Awards Scheme. In response, the Council of Ministers accepted the majority of proposals, but did not make commitments to increasing lower thresholds of of Tynwald Laurence Skelly said: "Certain recommendations require amendments to ensure that they align with our existing objectives, timescales and budgetary constraints." In March, the PAC said while the grants had been increased in line with inflation, the income levels to qualify for the full funding had lower end of the income threshold is currently £21,547, a figure the PAC recommended should be "uplifted to at least £30,388", with the thresholds adjusted each year in line with the response from the Council of Ministers amended two recommendations that would commit the government to increasing baselines. Instead there is a recommendation to consider the change. 'Strike a balance' The ministerial report said there needed to be "caution regarding the department's current funding constraints... and must be mindful of its financial limitations".It said: "Any adjustment to maintenance grant thresholds will need to be made within the department's current budget and possibly at the cost of other areas."It is imperative that the department strike a balance between this initiative and our other financial commitments."Among other recommendations, the PAC had also called for higher levels of financial support for those with a disability, to at least £2,600 for the annual ministers amended this recommendation to review and analyse the feasibility of an increase, rather than accept. The report said: "These need to be considered within the context of the department's current budget."But a number of other recommendations were accepted. Ministers agreed to review the awards scheme to make sure its policies were aligned with the "educational aims in the Island Plan".They also agreed to consider alternative options for eligibility criteria to access support. Currently, a person currently must have 80 UCAS points to qualify, but ministers accepted calls to include other qualifications to address skills shortages on the island. They "acknowledged that academic achievement is not the only indicator of a student's potential for success" and said it would look to consider other relevant experience and the PAC called for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture to submit a report to Tynwald with an implementation plan by May ministers amended this to be debated in May 2026. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
07-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Isle of Man: King Orry Viking statue planned near Tynwald hill
Plans have been submitted to install a bronze statue near Tynwald Hill to recognise a Viking ruler credited with playing a key role in establishing the Isle of Man's legal proposals would see the illuminated sculpture depicting King Orry, set to stand at 7.7 ft (2.3m) tall, installed in St John's overlooking the approved, the Department of Infrastructure, who have put forward the plans, aim to have the tribute in place for Tynwald Day in the privately-funded scheme, President of Tynwald Laurence Skelly said it would act as a "focal point of interest" to educate visitors and locals about the historical figure. Godred Crovan, also known as King Orry, was "widely recognised as one of our Norse forefathers and part of the Viking dynasty which established Tynwald" so commemorating him at St John's would be "very fitting", he said. The Viking warrior made three attempts to capture the Isle of Man and bring it under his rule. When he finally did he went on to reign for 16 years. Viking legacy The statue would also feature a plaque detailing King Orry's historical significance taken from the earliest written history of the island, the Chronicles of the Kings of Man and the would sit on a plinth by the junction of Peel Road and Glen Mooar Road, facing east and gesturing towards Tynwald application stated there had been no objections to the proposals by nearby businesses or German has been designed by artists Darren Jackson and Stephanie Quayle-Jackson, who also created a heron sculpture in say the artwork would "gaze across 1,000 years of history" encouraging people to explore the foundations the Vikings laid and their legacy. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
