Almost 50 Government employees who received relocation packages have since left their roles, with more than £46,000 repaid to the public purse, the Chief Minister has revealed.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan disclosed the figures in Tynwald this week after Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse asked how many employees who had received relocation support had left within three years of the payment being made.

Mr Cannan said relocation packages were used to attract specialist workers to the island where the required skills could not be sourced locally.

He told members: 'There are many specialist services administered across government and, on occasion, there is a need to recruit specialist candidates from elsewhere in order to meet the skills need of the organisation.

'Every effort is always made to recruit from the existing Manx workforce.'

The Chief Minister said that between July 2023 and June 2026, 364 people joined the Government and received some form of relocation package.

Of those, 49 have since left the organisation.

Mr Cannan also revealed that a total of £2,164,986 had been spent on the 364 relocation packages over the three-year period, equating to an average payment of £5,947 per employee.

He said £46,643 had been repaid by departing staff under repayment clauses included within the schemes.

'The various public sector relocation schemes include a repayment provision to protect public funds where an employee leaves employment before completing the requisite level of service,' he said.

'The amount to be refunded is directly proportional to the number of months of uncompleted service.'

During supplementary questions, Public Service Commission chairman and Onchan MHK Rob Callister suggested accommodation shortages could be contributing to staff leaving the island.

He said he was aware of two people who had recently decided to leave despite enjoying both the island and their jobs because they had been unable to secure long-term accommodation.

Mr Cannan said his understanding was that exit interviews were carried out with departing staff and that the information gathered was consolidated.