Brenda ‘no mates’ Cannell fails to persuade anybody else to vote against Immigration Select Committee interim recommendations

East Douglas MHK, Brenda Cannell, Chairman of the ‘Scrutiny’ Committee, failed to win any support, from other Tynwald Members, to oppose the referring of the recently introduced immigration orders to her Committee for review.

Select Committee Chairman, House of Keys’ Speaker, Steve Rodan, had moved in Tynwald, on the 21^st May 2008,

to 187/08) be referred to the Scrutiny Committee to consider (with particular regard to the appropriateness of any adaptations and modifications the Order makes to UK legislation) and to report to Tynwald.

Mr Rodan said the legislation was complex and deserved proper political scrutiny and his Committee thought that the Scrutiny Committee was the correct ‘vehicle’ to do this.

Mrs Cannell, although supportive of proper scrutiny, felt that insufficient dialogue had taken place, between her Committee and the Select Committee, before the referral and accused the Select Committee of ‘passing-the-buck’.

Mrs Cannell believed the Select Committee had decided, “We will do the interesting bit: we will take the evidence; we will listen to the public; we will receive the comments; we will deliberate about that; we will do the interesting part – the public interface aspect of it – but all the donkey work, all the leg work, we will refer to the Scrutiny Committee.”

She complained that the Committee could be swamped with work and lacked the resources to take on additional responsibility. She acknowledged that Members could, at any time, refer matters to the Scrutiny Committee and, if they fell within its remit, they would consider them. However, she still felt duty bound to vote against the recommendations.

Unfortunately she didn’t get much support from fellow committee members, Phil Braidwood and Eddie Lowey; Mr Braidwood thinking they would do a better job than the Select Committee. Mr Lowey, who is also a member of the Standing Order Committee, appeared more concerned as to how he was going to cope wearing two hats; and joked “if you cannot ride two horses, you should not be in the circus, should you?”

In response, Mr Rodan said he was sorry Mrs Cannell had taken the referral as a personal affront; and that it was nothing to do with buck-passing but more due to timing.

All three items were approved 22:1 in the Keys and 8:0 in LegCo.