The Cabinet Office Minister says government should be quicker at correcting ‘misinformation’.

Plans to introduce a ‘rapid rebuttal/fact check function’ to be called Manx Verify are included as a ‘smart objective’ in the Cabinet Office’s latest department plan.

But it prompted backbencher Lawrie Hooper to remark during a Tynwald debate on the department plan: ‘Given one of the biggest sources of misinformation and spin is the Isle of Man Government itself will this team be fact checking everything the government puts out as well?’

According to the plan, the fact checking team is due to be put together by July 31.

A scoping paper to consider operational format and resource requirements is being drawn up. Recruitment has been approved and is ‘in train’, the document states.

Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford replied: ‘I think we’ve got a long way to go before are the biggest spin machine on the planet, an awful long way to go before that.

‘But this is about ensuring that what is out there in public is accurate. Some of the feedback I’m getting from members in this court is a frustration that government isn’t quick enough to correct the record at some of the things that go out.

‘We spoke about some of this during the immigration debate that things aren’t corrected quick enough and take hold in the public psyche.

‘That’s what it’s about - it’s about ensuring that the facts are actually out there.

‘It is the ability to correct things because in the modern world once something’s posted it doesn’t take long before people move on to the next thing. And if you correct it a day later, two days later, the world has moved on and that’s there. So we need to be getting better at responding in real time.’

Another ‘smart’ objective of the department plan is to increase Government House’s Facebook following to 4,500 by March next year. It currently has a following of around 4,000.

The plan is to post content at least four times a week collaborate with Manx charities to cross-promote posts.

There is also an ambition to increase the Facebook page’s following in a younger audience demographic of under 30-year-olds.

The Cabinet saw its revenue budget increase to £43.38m in 2025-26, from £42.581m the previous year.

Among its priorities this year, according to the department plan, is to lead the cross-government efficiencies and change programme. This has an aim of achieving a minimum of £10m in operational efficiencies, cashable and non-cashable, for the current financial year, leading to £50m over five years.

‘Smart objectives’ towards this goal include fully digitising 25 identified services across government.

Artificial Intelligence capability will be deployed across across the identified 25 services or wider enterprise requirements.

Another ‘smart objective’ is to establish a central data services platform ‘to allow for joined up insights across the Isle of Man Government’.

Tynwald voted unanimously to receive the Cabinet Office’s department plan.