Hooper: 'Government ministers are dodging questions over potential cuts'

But DESC minister defends 'reallocation' of school budgets

A Ramsey MHK has accused government ministers of ‘dodging questions’ over potential cuts to frontline services.  

It follows questions about whether funding to Island schools had been adjusted since the start of the year.

In the House of Keys yesterday (28 January) Lawrie Hooper accused the Education, Sport and Culture Minister Daphne Caine of ‘double speak’.

He was reprimanded for his choice of language by the Speaker of the House of Keys who told him to leave the chamber for the day if he wouldn’t withdraw his remark; he later did so.

Mr Hooper, himself a former government minister, was not the only one with concerns.

Onchan MHK Julie Edge – who held the post of DESC Minister until she was sacked in February last year – told Manx Radio she didn’t believe Minister Caine ‘understood school finances’.

But the minister rebutted the criticism saying £100,000 had been ‘reallocated’ from schools, willingly, to help balance the budget for the year.

John Moss has this report: