Latest news with #LawrieHooper
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Online portal for information in Ramsey murder investigation
Police leading a murder investigation have urged people to use an online portal to submit Isle of Man Constabulary has confirmed a person died following "serious incident" in Ramsey on services were called to the Close Drean area shortly after 15:30 BST and the area remains cordoned force has called for information, including imagery, to be sent directly to them via the portal. Chief Minster Alfred Cannan has urged people to follow the request from police "not to speculate or share any distressing material online".Local politicians have also shared their shock following the death in Ramsey Lawrie Hooper MHK said it was "awful news and devastating for our small community", while Alex Allinson MHK said: "Alex Allinson said: "Our close community need time to come to terms with what has happened in our town." Echoing these sentiments, Ramsey Town Commissioners released a statement imploring people to "show respect by allowing the authorities to do their work and avoid speculating or spreading unconfirmed information". "At times like these, kindness, empathy and sensitivity matter most", they said. 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
22-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Move to introduce all island leisure rate rejected
A bid to introduce a leisure rate to replace local authority contributions to regional swimming pool costs has been thrown move would have seen the additional funds ring-fenced and allocated to the island's four local facilities and the National Sports Centre (NSC).Lawrie Hooper MHK had said the measure, which would have seen changes to the rates in Douglas, Onchan and Braddan, would raise £250,000 and make the system "more equitable".But Treasury Minister Alex Allinson said "full rate reform" would instead provide a "fair, modern and equitable way of funding community services and facilities". An all-island tax would "not solve the problem of how our regional swimming pools are funded, how they are managed, and their operations co-ordinated", he said. 'Lessening the burden' Hooper argued it was about "making things a little bit fairer and a little bit better" as rate reform would not happen all at once. Although the regional rates for the pools did not raise a lot of money in comparison to the total running costs of the facilities, the measure would have the effect of "lessening the burden" on the Department for Education, Sport and Culture the proposal, Jason Moorhouse MHK said it would resolve the issue of "imbalance" in the rating system, which saw some ratepayers pay for the pools, but not all, and would "ensure uniform contributions".But Chris Thomas MHK said the only reason that the facilities were paid for by rates was so that local authorities had control of the pools. He said introducing a fee in the east of the island could lead to the NSC being run by a local authority. Similarly, Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford said the measure would "centralise" the funding to the government and "remove that power from the local level".In a vote in Tynwald the measure was rejected by the politicians. Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 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
21-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Call for 'gaslighting' remark withdrawal rejected by Tynwald
A committee's call for the Manx chief minister to withdraw comments that accused the former health minister of "gaslighting" has been rejected by the Cannan said Lawrie Hooper's resignation speech on 15 October was a "fabrication" of facts and accused him of "gaslighting" the Council of Ministers and the public over Manx Care's funding.A Tynwald Standards and Members' Interests Committee report found Cannan's language to be "unacceptable" and called for the remarks to be that recommendation, and a second that would have seen politicians given training on parliamentary language, were voted down by Tynwald members. When delivering his resignation statement in October, Hooper said he believed Cannan had an "ultimate aim to try and privatise our health service".A day later, when Hooper was not present, Cannan said the statement was a "fabrication" describing it as a "falsehood and a slur on the Council of Ministers".The remarks were reported to the committee by Hooper, which also considered comments from a failed motion of no confidence in the chief minister in the House of Keys on 29 that debate several members criticised Cannan's remarks about Hooper. In its latest report the committee concluded Cannan's language had been "unacceptable" and said it was "not acceptable parliamentary practice for one member to characterise what another member has said as fabrication, falsehood or gaslighting".It also suggested training should be undertaken by all members "in the principles of parliamentary language and debate".During the debate on the findings in the Manx parliament, Rob Callister MHK said he believed the "entire situation should never have escalated to a stage requiring reporting and recommendations".Julie Edge MHK said: "We need to stop pretending that we need training camps and start demanding basic decency." Committee chairman Juan Watterson SHK told members he thought they were "capable of making their point in debate without impugning character or using inappropriate language".He said it would be "right that we do as much as we can to learn from this episode and reduce the risk of any similar difficulties arising in future".However, the motion failed to gain enough voted in after the session, Watterson said, by not supporting the recommendations, they had "passed a motion that will allow acceptable standards of behaviour in our national parliament to be far lower". 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.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bid for review of health provider framework
The relationship a health care provider and the government department that sets its annual mandate should be reviewed, the minister responsible for it has said. Health and Social Care Minister Clare Christian will ask members to approve the setting up of a committee to review the at the April sitting of Tynwald. Manx Care was created as an arm's-length body in 2021 following a review by former NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Sir Jonathan Michael. Christian will ask for the review to focus on the governance framework, the division of responsibilities, and the statutory relationship between the two bodies. It comes as the same time as a shake-up at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which has seen two ministers step away as political representatives, with three new members appointed to the team. Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson and Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford were appointed to the DHSC on an interim basis since November 2024 after the resignation of former minister Lawrie Hooper. The new appointees, Minister without portfolio Tim Crookall, Stu Peters MHK and Diane Kelsey MLC, now join Peter Reid MLC who was appointed to the department in March. While Manx Care delivers the day-to-day running of health services, the department sets the policy and strategy, and creates a mandate for Manx Care to monitor its performance. In January, the provider confirmed it was facing a projected £15m overspend for the 2024/2025 financial year and announced a raft of cost-cutting measures in a bid to to stay within its £346m budget. Christian, who took on the post as minister in November, said as it was four years since Manx Care had become operational the time was right to "take stock and review the working arrangements". She said: "I want to ensure that the island's health and care system, that we all value so highly, makes the best use of its resources and has clear lines of accountability." The minister said she believed the proposal would "enable us to see what lessons we have learned" and "consider whether we need to make any improvements or changes that will ensure we can provide the best service to the public over the coming years". Welcoming the move, chairman of the Manx Care board Wendy Reid said: "The review, due to be considered by the board, recognises that current legislation and oversight arrangements provide significant challenges regarding the independence, accountability and decision making for Manx Care." If backed by Tynwald, the committee would be tasked with bringing the terms of reference for the review to the June sitting of the parliament for approval, with a final report due in December. A general debate on the most recent Manx Care mandate and operating plan was rejected Tynwald last month. Former minister Lawrie Hooper will ask members to support changes to the current mandate at the April sitting. 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. Politicians delay debate on health care mandate Three new MLCs take on government department roles Three new ministers announced in cabinet shake-up Manx Care takes over running health services Manx Care Tynwald - Parliament of the Isle of Man Isle of Man Government - Department of Health and Social Care
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Politicians delay debate on Manx Care mandate and operating plan
A bid to have a general debate on the mandate given to the Isle of Man's health service for the year ahead has been rejected by of Tynwald have instead opted to discuss the document and Manx Care's operating plan in April, when separate motion will allow for a vote on the issue. Chief Minister Alfred Cannan argued the general debate would have covered key challenges in ensuring care was given "in the right way for the money that is available".But former health minister Lawrie Hooper said the mandate represented "a sizable shift away from what we are used to seeing" and members should be allowed to vote on it. Manx Care recently published its aims for the next financial year, in response to the annual document from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).In its operating plan the health care provider outlined how it aimed to stay within its £361.8m budget, with a focus on reducing pressure at Noble's Hospital using measures such as reducing hospital bed capacity and increasing private concerns have been raised by the Isle of Man Medical Society and cancer charities about possible reductions in some services. 'Opportunity missed' During the March sitting Tynwald a bid by Health Minister Claire Christian to have standing orders suspended to allow the general debate to take place was unsuccessful.A general debate allows politicians to discuss an issue without voting on any resolution at the said it would have been an opportunity to a debate the issues ahead of the operational year, which begins on 1 April and to "hear the voice of your people" through members' politicians to back the move, Cannan told members it would allow for a "calm, sensible debate on behalf of constituents" on the key challenges facing the island's health going ahead would be "huge opportunity missed", he Hooper said the new mandate represented "a massive change to the way services are delivered", and he had already tabled a motion for the April sitting that would give members the chance to vote on the it he argues that the mandate and operating plan were "inadequate" and represented an "unacceptable reduction in services" for has also called for the DHSC to produce updated versions of the suspension of standing orders required 16 votes in the House of Keys, but only 14 members supported the move so the general debate did not take place. 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.
