Cabinet Office departmental plan to be put before Tynwald

Total expenditure for the department is more than £34m

The Isle of Man Government’s Cabinet Office has published its departmental plan which is set to go before Tynwald this week.

The plan summarises the work its carried out to date and highlights future plans and reforms.

Some of its 'key achievements' from the start of the current administration include the de-escalation of the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and restoring the freedoms of Island life.

Schemes set up to enable those fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion which has seen more than 100 refugees seek shelter on the Isle of Man.

Cost-of-living measures are also highlighted as departmental achievements, including a pilot Summer Holiday Activity and Food Programme for recipients of free school meals, the 'winter help' line and creation of a community warm spaces fund.

Reforms and future plans include the restarting of a project which will see a board review and performance framework developed for arms-length bodies, statutory boards and regulators.

The department identify the potential need for a bill to be developed ahead of the next general election which removes bureaucracy and red tape.

The financial summary of the department sees a total net expenditure for 2022-23 of £34,661,118.

This figure can be further broken down into each division of the Cabinet Office:

• Policy Development: £2,449,038.
• Crown and External Relations: £2,392,675.
• Government Technology Services: £19,684,225.
• Senior Executives Office: £554,637.
• Business Change Services: £1,710,667.
• Public Health Directorate: £2,093,093.
• Office of Human Resources: £6,122,308.
• The Isle of Man Border Service generates money, so has a negative expenditure of -£345,525.

Kate Lord-Brennan MHK, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “I welcome the chance both to highlight the previous work delivered by the Cabinet Office since the start of the administration and also to outline future intentions.  It remains very important to focus on improvement of what government does, and pursue betterment of service delivery for the public.”

In January, Tynwald approved statutory changes which saw the Chief Secretary’s title become Chief Executive Officer (Isle of Man Government) with departmental CEO’s becoming Chief Officers.