Vote on extra £20m for health service delayed

The consideration of a bid for £20m in additional funds for health services has been delayed following calls for greater clarity on what a predicted overspend would be.

Manx Care is facing a budget deficit of about £15.8m for the 2024-25 financial year.

Treasury Minister Alex Allinsion had argued signing off on the larger amount in march would ensure officers were not spending funds they were "not authorised to spend".

But Juan Watterson SHK said waiting until the end of the financial year would allow Tynwald members to know "an exact figure" before the vote.

The treasury minister had asked politicians to support the extra spending by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to cover its mandated services and add to its operating budget of £347m in the 2024-25 year.

However, Watterson said pushing the vote back to April would "keep the pressure on for the last 13 days of year" and make sure members knew "exactly" what the overspend was.

Also opposing holding the debate in March, Lawrie Hooper MHK called for more detail on how the additional funds would be spent.

Allinson said a memorandum to Tynwald members had been published that "made the position clear", however some members said it had not been circulated to them.

It was later clarified that while it had been added to the Register of Business on the Clerk of Tynwald's Office website, it had not been included on the Tynwald Order Paper.

The memo explained that a 8% hike in the cost of off-island care in October, additional staff pay awards, and increased drug costs had added to the increase in spending.

It also outlined how the healthcare provider was forecasting an overspend of £15.8m, with additional risks of £5.35m, leading to a potential total overspend of £21.15m.

The document stated combining a DHSC underspend of £1.35m, with Manx Care's "worst-case scenario overspend" meant a £19.8m deficit was currently predicted.

Allinson agreed it was "absolutely right fiscal responsibility was maintained" until the end of the financial year, but argued delaying the debate would put the department in the "onerous position" of allowing the spending of money that it did "not have at the moment".

As the item had not completed the required four weeks on the Register of Business Tynwald members voted down holding the debate on the additional funding at the March sitting of Tynwald.

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