Hooper: We Accept and Apologise

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper has confirmed the DHSC will not be appealing the decision of a tribunal to award almost £3.2m to Dr Rosalind Ranson.

Mr Hooper also said he accepted the tribunal’s findings and wanted to apologise to Dr Ranson for the treatment she experienced.

The minister said that after the tribunal had accepted the tribunal’s finding that Dr Ranson had been unfairly dismissed after making protected disclosures, an effort was made to find an agreement over compensation without having to go through further hearings.

Addressing the appeals launched last summer, Mr Hooper said it was not about the findings of the tribunal, but a matter of law over whether a lawyer acting for the DHSC had been asked to breach client privilege.

Mr Hooper said that the appeals were submitted were by an officer of the DHSC acting under delegated powers as then minister had not made the decision. He added said that the former minister Rob Callister could have withdrawn the appeal if he so wished, but had not done so.

Those appeals in part focussed on how information was disclosed for the tribunal, with some files not being disclosed when requested by Dr Ranson and her legal team and allegations, which were not proved, that some documents were concocted.

During this time, the DHSC engaged with Expol and Riela Cyber to conduct an investigation into those allegations, which Mr Hooper said was not challenged at the time by Dr Ranson’s legal team.

Questions

Responding to Mr Hooper, Rob Callister (Onchan) asked where the delegated power was given by the DHSC to members.

Mr Hooper said it was in a document signed by Mr Callister that is publicly available.

Claire Christian (Douglas South) asks Mr Hooper about a meeting with Dr Ranson but he said he was unable to say much more about it

Mr Callister asked more about the delegated powers. Mr Hooper says its in a document that he can circulate.

Mr Callister says he was always available during his time as minister. Mr Hooper says its difficult for him to say as he wasn’t there but that Mr Callister had not made a decision at the time a decision needed to be made, so a decision was made under the delegated powers. He added that Mr Callister could have withdrawn it if he wanted to.

The Onchan MHK said he was not advised by officers or legally that he could withdraw the skeleton argument and that Mr Hooper knows what conversations were had with the Chief and Deputy Chief Ministers and says Mr Hooper’s statements are not factually correct.

Mr Hooper says the release of files under FoI shows that no decision was made by the DHSC so officers acted and it was up to him to withdraw that appeal if he so wanted.

Mr Callister comes back again and asks the minister to public a copy of the minutes and relevant documents, saying he is restricted by a committee of Tynwald in releasing the full details around what happened.

Mr Hooper said he will speak to officers around releasing what he said were notes of a meeting rather than proper minutes. He again said that Mr Callister could have decided to withdraw the appeal but that he can’t say why that option wasn’t taken.

Mrs Christian asks if the paper ever got the CoMin, but the minister says the Chief Minister has already addressed that. He also doubles down by saying that he was told he could’ve withdrawn appeals as minister, so Mr Callister could’ve done it too.

President Statement

President Lawrence Skelly says Mr Callister needs to raise allegations of misleading the court properly if he will do so.

Mr Hooper asks Mr Callister to withdraw his remarks. Mr Callister agrees telling Tynwald that Mr Hooper has ‘already thrown me under the political bus’.