Manx civil service shake-up could improve services, says chief

Alfred Cannan said there was a chance to change government culture

A shake-up in the Isle of Man's civil service should lead to "better delivery of services for the taxpayer", the chief minister has said.

Several senior officers have left the government after an industrial tribunal ruled a top medic was unfairly sacked for whistleblowing.

Alfred Cannan said staff changes would allow the Council of Ministers to "take a good look at culture and governance".

It comes after the tribunal identified clear "shortcomings", he added

The panel's ruling that former medical director Dr Rosalind Ranson was sacked for speaking out prompted Mr Cannan to announce plans to reforms to the structure of government.

These include reviews of the role of the chief secretary, the Office of Human Resources, and governance within departments.

'Better productivity'

Mr Cannan said the recent "small exodus" of senior staff was an opportunity to restructure the government so employees and the public "can have more faith in and more trust in its organisational integrity".

Plans to appoint non-executive advisers from outside the government to department boards would ensure people "are asking the right questions", he said.

He said: "I hope we see more challenge, more scrutiny going into how departments are operating, and in doing so, I would hope this would lead to less tribunals, and more effective delivery."

The Council of Ministers was also looking at parts of government that "are probably not core business" which could be "run in a better fashion, and removed from direct political control", Mr Cannan said.

However, he said that there was no risk of his administration losing focus on issues like housing and the cost of living.

"Those remain priorities, but we can set a reform programme alongside that will result in government as an organisation being a much better place for staff and as a result, having better productivity and delivery for the taxpayer," he added.