There is a direct contradiction in answers provided by two government departments to the same question, according to the MHK who asked them.

Clare Bettison (Douglas Central) asked the ministers for enterprise and infrastructure whether their departments had been in formal consultation before the promenade regeneration scheme began.

One department has said it was not formally consulted on any aspect of the work, while the other says it did consult government departments.

Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly said his department ’was not formally consulted on any aspect of the promenade regeneration scheme before the works began’.

powers

Mr Skelly also said: ’The Department for Enterprise has relatively limited powers and funding which is designed to support economic growth and consequently ordinarily has not been involved in any of the island’s regeneration schemes other than administering a small matched funding scheme that allows improvements to the frontage of businesses as part of any works.’

He added his department ’continues now to work closely with the Department of Infrastructure and Treasury’ to consider the impact of the scheme on businesses and how it can be minimised.

However, in his response, DoI Minister Ray Harmer said: ’Formal consultation including with the departments of government has been held several times since 2011 in addition to ongoing joint working by officers and formal planning permission procedures. Officers of the Department for Enterprise continue to support the department’s officers on this scheme and many others.’

Miss Bettison told the Courier the answers were a ’complete contradiction’ of each other and said she believes that DfE ’should have been involved from the start’ in the managing of the project.

She added: ’It is concerning if the DfE says it hasn’t been involved from the start and it shows from this and talking to businesses that the biggest problem has been a lack of joined up working.’

Miss Bettison has previously welcomed the idea of Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan to create a central unit to oversee large capital projects.

Mr Cannan said at the time: ’We have had a lot of evidence now and in the past that government is not delivering effectively and efficiently when dealing with major capital projects. The idea of individual departments taking charge of multimillion pounds schemes in isolation really is not good enough.’

The Treasury is also currently working ith the DfE and DoI to explore how a scheme to assist businesses affected by the prom works can be implemented.