THE Manx public remains in favour of the government retaining control over the operation of the vast majority of the Isle of Man’s public services such as the ports, roads and buses.
That is the latest finding from a political survey conducted prior to the forthcoming House of Keys general election by ‘Manx People Power.’
Latest statistics released from the survey show that the public is very positively in favour of government retaining operational supervision of the prison, ports, Post Office, the MEA, buses and trains.
However, there was some doubt expressed over the government’s operation of the horse trams, the Steam Packet, the Villa Marina and the Gaiety Theatre.
The Manx People Power Survey, conducted by HPI Research, and involving a representative sample of 1055 people, asked Isle of Man residents 39 questions. One of these was: ‘Do you think that the following buildings or services should be operated by the Isle of Man government, companies, or volunteers?’ The questions related to operation not ownership of these facilities.
Professor Hugh Davidson, the man behind the survey, said, “Without exception, interviewees thought each of the 12 specified facilities should be run by the Government. Preference for Government operation was highest for Jurby Prison (86 per cent), IOM Ports (79 per cent), road maintenance (76 per cent), Post Office (74 per cent), and bus services (71 per cent).”
The preference was narrowest for Villa and Gaiety (51 per cent), Horse Trams (57 per cent), MEA (61 per cent), and Steam Trains (62 per cent). There was a majority in favour of the Government running the Steam Packet, but this would only be feasible if it was purchased – expensive and unlikely.
Hugh Davidson added, “This question explored how Manx government assets should be operated, and did not cover privatisation.
“The latter has not been wildly popular with British voters in recent times, and in the past year YouGov polls have shown a majority in favour of public ownership of the Post Office, NHS Blood, and Forests”.
Professor Davidson said that in September 2006, the Quayle Report on ‘Scope and Structure of Government’ examined a range of options for certain activities, mainly corporatising (Government ownership, commercial operation), and contracting out.
He added, “Its preferred options, based on preliminary assessments was to corporatise buses, Ronaldsway airport, harbours, water, the MEA, and the Post Office and to contract out other activities.
“This is a complex area, and other aspects of the Quayle Report may be reconsidered by the new Manx Government when it takes office, since the MPP Report shows public dissatisfaction with the efficiency of government spending.”
