IN HIS final attendance at a sitting of the House of Keys, the outspoken MHK for Michael, David Cannan, is leaving the Manx parliament with his last questions for answer, prior to standing down from the seat he has held since 1982.

Mr Cannan - who has been one of the most vocal of the Isle of Man’s MHKs during his time in office - has rarely missed an opportunity to attack government policy and has often fought many lone political battles, frequently being the only person to vote against the majority.

In Tuesday’s sitting of the House of Keys, Mr Cannan has tabled six of the 20 questions for oral or written answer, maintaining consistency to the end.

Subjects include the new Jurby surgery, the appointment of the Noble’s Hospital chief pharmacist, the Queen’s Pier, the International Business School, the Freedom of Information Bill and the MEA retail accounts.

Mr Cannan's son, Alf, has already announced that he will be standing for the House of Keys General Election in Michael, in a bid to replace his father.

Apart from two questions by Rushen MHK Juan Watterson, concerning on-street parking and taxation, all the other questions for Tuesday's sitting have been again tabled by Peter Karran, MHK for Onchan.

His prolific campaign of asking an enormous number of questions throughout the last five years of the House of Keys and Tynwald ends on Tuesday with another barrage of queries, covering a wide range of subjects - from planning and the film industry to the police and the National Sports Centre’s athletics track.

Tuesday’s final sitting of the House of Keys takes place at 10.00 am. Members will also sit again briefly as part of the official proceedings on Tynwald Day, prior to the dissolution of the Manx parliament before September’s General Election.