Keys in Review

The Keys sitting this week was dominated by one man, in the first half, Jason Moorhouse sought answers on the Highway Code, interim CEOs, social housing and dog attacks.

Q1

The DoI is working with the AG’s Chambers to bring forward an updated Manx Highway Code for next year.

Minister Chris Thomas said he hoped this would make questioner Jason Moorhouse’s ‘dreams come true’.

He said that the DoI is also working with the police on incorporating the UK Highway Code, which would be ‘substantially’ adopted by the island. The last major update to the Manx Highway Code was in 2014. 

Variations will include things like the horse trams and derestricted roads, but that variations from the UK code will be ‘kept to a minimum’.

Mr Thomas said that the DoI will be formalising the hierarchy of road users, essentially making pedestrians the priority. 

Q2

JM: Is the DoI interim chief exec on the same age agreements as ex CEO Nick Black?

CT: Yes, same remit, same role, same cash.

JM: When are you getting a new permanent CEO?

CT: Look forward to settling that in the shortest time frame possible.

Q3

JM: How many housing properties does the DoI own in the south of the island that have been either purpose built or modified to be accessible?

CT: DoI owns 643 public sector rental properties in the south of the island, the south being defined by Arbory, Rushen, Castletown, Malew and Santon.

Four were purpose built as accessible, 31 have been modified or adapted. 

JM: Are they prioritised for people with additional needs? This doesn’t always seem to be the case…

CT: There are always difficulties with this, for example, I have a disabled person in my house, my mother has different accessibility issues, so she finds it difficult to visit me as the adaptations at my house aren’t suitable for her.

Rather than thinking by region, we need a national list and think of everyone as an individual and do what we can as quickly as possible to make things as accessible as possible. Six months ago there were offers to help someone from the west of the island and people worked together to find them suitable housing. We need to work together on this and help people, let’s do as much as we can, with the resources we have, to make sure that everyone has as close to regular living as possible.

JM: I am aware of one person who doesn’t need an adapted home but is living in one and wants to move, is this something you’re aware of?

CT: I don’t know how many people are affected by this right now but I know of other issues around the island, people will only move where suits them this is why we need a national list. 

JM: Does DoI have a budget for the work in its own housing?

CT: Yes we do, we’d like more. 

Q4

JM: How many dog attacks on people in the last five years?

JPW: The police don’t have an explicit record for this, but all reports are recorded and investigated. In June 2019 a dangerous dogs classification was adopted which it has been assumed would be used in all instances where a dog has attacked a person. Before this, reports recorded on the dispatch system, which resulted in a crime being recorded, have been used.

2018 – two investigations
2019, 2020, 2021 – three investigations and in 2022 five.

I’ll circulate the info.

JM: I spoke to a man who was attacked who said prosecutions weren’t taking place, do we need to update the dog act?

JPW: Any person may make a report to summary courts already, in terms of actual data regarding prosecutions and data, this would require a manual search and the police aren’t able to do this due to demands on their analytical team. 

You can find more on these questions here.