Isle of Man election: Refugee debate revived in Douglas Central

Four candidates are vying for the two Douglas Central seats

Candidates standing in Douglas Central in the House of Keys election have discussed a wide range of issues at a public meeting.

Damian Ciapelli, Ann Corlett, Sara Hackman and Chris Thomas are all vying for a seat.

Future international aid and whether the island could accept refugees from Afghanistan was debated at the meeting held at St Ninian's High School.

Economic inequality, tax rates and housing were also discussed.

Mr Ciapelli said he was not in favour of bringing refugees to the island

Damian Ciapelli (independent) said: "The Isle of Man should make a donation to the Afghan cause through an appropriate charity or international body."

He said he was "not in favour of taking Afghan refugees over to the island because of the issues relating to the legal framework we have here, because it would create a lot of complications".

Mr Ciapelli said he did not "detect a general appetite for this" among constituents, adding: "Especially in a period in which we have such an issue with housing matters, for our young and for those who have found themselves in considerable difficulty and are in emergency housing."

Mrs Corlett called for an investigation of what the impact of taking in refugees would be

Ann Corlett (independent) said the island's international donations should be increased, "but I do believe we have to look to our own first".

She said: "If we want to change policy on this then I think we need to fully investigate what the impact might be. We need to take in public opinion and make policy accordingly.

"This is not something we can discuss every time there's a disaster or there's war in a country, we need an overall policy of what we do and what we give," she added.

Ms Hackman said refugees could add to the island's homelessness problem

Sara Hackman (independent) said she believed the island already had a big problem with homelessness and accepting refugees would add to it.

She said the homeless charity Graih currently had between 200 and 400 people without a bed, "so if we start taking refugees then that's going to increase the problem".

"There are other refugees who are also having problems with persecution from their countries. We should put in a proper structure to be able to perhaps be able to do that in the future, but right now I don't think it's the right time," she added.

Mr Thomas said social housing would be a big challenge if the island were to take in refugees

Chris Thomas (independent) said the island's annual £2.5m development aid could increase, as the amount is "only about a quarter of what Jersey gives".

On taking in Afghan refugees he said a key issue to consider was housing, because he believed the island's social housing legislation meant "there is no possibility to give points to asylum seekers or refugees so they get ahead of Manx people in terms of housing, so we'd have to change the law".

"We haven't got the history, and tradition or legal system about asylum or refugees. We would have to make the decision to pursue this universally," he added.

Retaining and attracting people to the island, the readiness for TT 2022 and heritage transport were among other subjects raised at the two-hour meeting.

The two seats in Douglas have been held by Ann Corkill and Chris Thomas for the last five years.

Polls will be open between 08:00 and 20:00 BST on 23 September.

Read more about the Isle of Man election:

• Who will you vote for in the Isle of Man election?

• Promenade scheme attacked at Douglas East hustings

• Housing a key issue at Rushen election meeting

• Mental health at heart of Ramsey election meeting

BBC Isle of Man will be featuring all 12 of the constituencies for the House of Keys in the forthcoming general election during the run up to the poll on 23 September.