Engagement hub

The Cabinet Office asked for the public’s views on the development of updated regulations for both local and national elections.

132 people responded, 120 of whom responded as individuals while 12 responded on behalf of an organisation or as part of a professional group.

The responses to our proposals for the amendment regulations were broadly supportive.

• A large majority of people (94%) were in favour of candidates’ declarations of relevant interest being published online – 84% of people said they thought it was acceptable to publish these declarations as soon as practicable after the close of nominations
   
• A large majority of people (82%) were in favour of the Cabinet Office arranging one pre-election meeting per constituency. People gave a variety of suggestions about what should be considered in arranging these meetings, including accessibility and making recordings available
   
• A large majority of people (86%) said that allowing deputy returning officers to pre-verify postal ballots was a sensible way of making the vote count quicker on election day – 80% of people said that 48 hours’ notice to candidates in advance of pre-verification would be sufficient

We are grateful to everyone who took the time to respond to this consultation. All responses were considered in full, and an anonymised summary of responses has been provided in the Consultation Response document now available online.

The responses to this consultation are being used to help inform the final drafting of the Elections (Keys and Local Authorities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. Once finalised, it is hoped that these regulations will be put before Tynwald for approval in April or May 2026.  

The Department of Home Affairs invited feedback on the draft National Infrastructure Security Bill.

The public consultation opened on the 1 December 2025 and closed on the 9 January 2026. The Department received 13 responses to the consultation,8 of which were received via the consultation hub. The 13 responses comprised:

• 5 Members of the public
• 4 Private Companies
• 1 Government Departments, Offices or Boards
• 3 Local Authorities

There was a consensus from the responses received on the need for legislation.

Amongst the feedback, there was agreement on the definition of the National and Critical National Infrastructure and the need for a competent and technical authority. Furthermore, it is apparent that further detail on how the legislation would work in practice, some amendments to the definitions of the national and critical infrastructure, together with engagement with stakeholders when drafting regulations was requested.

The Department is grateful to the individuals and organisations who responded to the consultation. All responses received have now been analysed and used to create a consultation summary report, which has been published on this page.  This report also includes commentary in places where relevant and where respondents indicated that their response could be published or published anonymously.

The report summarises the responses received and sets out the next steps the Department intends to take following this engagement. These will include amending some of the definitions of the national and critical infrastructure and continuing to work with stakeholders to ensure that any legislation introduced is proportionate.

The work in this area will help make our Island safer and we are committed to ensuring that those who may be affected have, through this consultation, and will continue to be involved in the detailed proposals. 

The Treasury asked for the public’s views on the proposed amendments to the Legal Aid Act 1986. The consultation took place between 10 November to 22 December 2025.

A number of key stakeholders were contacted directly and invited to take part in giving their views. These included:

• Political Members
• All advocates currently registered to provide Legal Aid in the Isle of Man
• The Isle of Man Law Society
• The Police Chief Constable
• The Attorney General
• The Solicitor General
• The Deemsters & High Bailiffs
• Senior Officers of the Department of Home Affairs including the Prison Governor
• Senior Officers of the General Registry
• The Appointments Commission
• The Legal Aid Appeals Tribunal

The Treasury also sent paper copies of the consultation to the Isle of Man Prison in order to enable inmates to take part in the consultation.

A total of 17 responses to the consultation were received by the Consultation Hub and a further 7 responses were received in written form.

The responses expressed a range of concerns around the proposed changes to the Legal Aid Act and the impact in particular that they will have on services that are not currently operated by the Treasury.

Concerns included:

• That the proposed changes for the issuing of criminal legal aid certificates, moving it to the responsibility of the Legal Aid Certifying Officer, would cause significant delays to the criminal courts processes
   
• Some views thought that the proposed Legal Aid may be excessive cost and unnecessary bureaucracy over legal aid advocates
   
• The proposals in the draft Act to enable fixed fee legal aid work raised concerns, indicating that there would be considerable objection to this from advocates that currently provide legal aid

The Department has analysed the responses in detail and the Treasury thanks all those individuals and organisations who responded to the consultation. All responses received have now been analysed and used to create a consultation summary report, which has been published on this page.

Further work with all relevant stakeholders must take place to ensure that before those or any other amendments are made, their potential impact is properly understood and that any changes made to legal aid are operationally workable and in line with policy objectives. 

The Treasury Minister, Chris Thomas MHK, has determined that the proposed amendments be put on hold for at least the duration of the current Tynwald administration period and that the progression of the changes should no longer be the responsibility of Treasury and instead should be taken forward by another Government body that is better equipped to do so.