The appointment of a former MHK to the board of the Isle of Man’s meat plant has raised concerns over transparency, the House of Keys has heard.

Onchan MHK Julie Edge questioned the recruitment of Bill Shimmins, who represented Middle between 2016 and 2021, saying the direct appointment created a ‘transparency issue’ for the public and highlighted wider governance concerns.

During this week’s sitting, Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) Minister Clare Barber confirmed Mr Shimmins had been appointed to the board of Isle of Man Meats without an open recruitment process.

She said his role was a short-term, direct appointment which will run until April, when a full review of the board is due to take place and a competitive recruitment exercise will be carried out.

Mrs Barber told members there is ‘no defined process’ for appointing non-executive directors to the board, beyond the formal notice given by government as shareholder.

However, she said her ‘preference would be to have an open recruitment process’, as had been done previously.

Explaining the decision, the Minister said the departure of the former chief officer and the arrival of a new chief officer had prompted the department to take a closer look at the plant’s governance and future needs.

The board subsequently advised that two additional directors were required, one with a focus on finance and governance and another on sales and marketing.

‘Noting the request of the specific skill set, the time pressures to appointment and the short-term nature of the appointment, it was decided that a direct appointment would be best in the circumstances,’ she said.

Dr Barber added that Mr Shimmins’ experience in finance and his ‘working knowledge of government process and the expectations relating to governance of government-owned arm’s length bodies’ made him a suitable short-term choice.

Ms Edge pressed the minister on the lack of transparency, asking whether the public could reasonably assume there had been a shortlist of one.

In response, Mrs Barber said: ‘We approached a person who was our first choice, but there were other names that were considered internally.’