Government drops 15 bills from legislative programme

Includes Housing and Communities Bill, Coastal Footpath Bill, Mental Health Bill and Hate Crime Bill

Over the past year government has removed 15 bills from its legislative plan.

The latest 'Our Island Plan' update has been published on the Tynwald Register of Business ahead of debate in March.

The document lists legislation which has been completed since the start of the administration, bills which are awaiting Royal Assent or are in the branches, bills in development planned for the 2024-25 session, bills in development planned for the 2025-26 session, bills added since the 'Our Island Plan' update published in March 2024, and bills removed since then.

Of the 15 bills which have been dropped, three are from the Cabinet Office, one from Treasury, two from the Department of Infrastructure, three from the Department of Health and Social Care, four from the Department of Home Affairs, one from the Department for Enterprise and one from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

The reasons for removal range from 'prioritisation of other Our Island Plan objectives' to 'paused until such time that resource can be allocated' or 'no longer required'.

And the DOI's 'Coastal Footpath Bill' has been dropped as 'further work is being carried out to determine whether the Bill is required'.

FOOTPATHS

Footpaths have been a topic much discussed in Tynwald.

On Tynwald Day 2021 Manx resident David Buttery submitted a petition regarding the Island's footpaths.

That was later picked up by Douglas South MHK Sarah Maltby and subsequently a committee was formed which began taking evidence in February 2022.

It published a report into the topic which was accepted by Tynwald in November 2022, and is separate from the Coastal Footpath Bill.

Members agreed to look at a more efficient way of coordinating the maintenance of footpaths but further updates seemingly stalled.

In July last year Mrs Maltby said the Island needed to 'get its act together' and sort out the state of the public rights of way - and several Manx Radio listeners agreed - you can read more here.

DHA

Separately four bills from the DHA have been removed.

Three were 'due to work required first on Justice Reform (Amendment) Bill, the need for modernised police legislation as well as work required to support the 'Securing Our Island Strategy'.

The rollback of the Hate Crime Bill, Sentencing Bill and legislation to replace the Interception of Communications Act 1988 and the Regulation of Surveillance, Etc. Act 2006 was first trailed by the DHA Minister back in October.

A fourth, the Financial Intelligence Unit (Amendment) Bill, has been removed as it's 'no longer required; an Order is being progressed instead'.

DHSC

The three bills removed by the Department of Health and Social Care 'remain on DHSC's legislative programme' but have been 'paused until such time that resource can be allocated'.

These pieces of legislation concern medicines, mental health and mental capacity.

RESOURCES

A lack of resources seems to be an issue for several pieces of legislation.

For example the DoI has removed its Housing (and Communities) Bill saying that its resources 'should be focused on more deliverable priorities'.

The Department for Enterprise has pulled its Civil Registration Bill stating it is 'complex legislation and the department currently lacks the resources to progress this bill during this administration'.

It adds that it 'still intends to progress the legislation in the longer term'.

DEFA has removed its Agricultural Marketing Bill citing that it is 'not viewed as a priority'.

It says 'other, non-legislative means of delivering the agricultural strategy and food security plan have been identified and are being pursued'.

BILLS

The full list of removed bills are as follows:

• National Security/Official Secrets Bill (Cabinet Office)
• Registration of Electors (Amendment) Bill (Cabinet Office)
• Information Rights Bill (Cabinet Office)
• Criminal Injuries Compensation Bill (Treasury)
• Housing (and Communities) Bill (DOI)
• Coastal Footpath Bill (DOI)
• Medicines Bill (DHSC)
• Mental Health Bill (DHSC)
• Mental Capacity Bill (DHSC)
• Financial Intelligence Unit (Amendment) Bill (DHA)
• A Bill to replace the Interception of Communications Act 1998 and the Regulation of Surveillance, Etc. Act 2006 (DHA)
• Sentencing Bill (DHA)
• Hate Crime Bill (DHA)
• Civil Registration Bill (DfE)
• Agricultural Marketing Bill (DEFA)

You can find the updated 'Our Island Plan' HERE.

Manx Radio has invited all of the relevant ministers for interview.

Treasury Minister Alex Allinson says: 'After detailed consultation with the Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme Panel chair and in response to their annual report we have agreed not to develop a new and unique Criminal Injury Compensation Bill due to the time this was forecast to develop.

'Treasury has removed this Bill from the legislative programme and instead plan to progress a new statutory Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme on a tariff basis in order to replace the three existing non-statutory schemes and to serve the victims of crime in a better way by the end of this administration.'