The Green Party has said it has been ignored multiple times by the Department of Infrastructure in its letters regarding the Crogga licence extension.

Following the announcement by the government on May 3 that the licence issued to Crogga to search for fossil fuels in the Isle of Man seabed had been extended by 27 months, the Green Party wrote to Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall asking for an explanation as to the reasons why the decision was made.

It asked him on May 5 to justify how the decision was compliant with the DoI’s legal duties under the Climate Change Act 2021.

The party wrote again on May 27 inviting the minister to acknowledge receipt of its original letter.

Five weeks after the first letter was written, no reply has been received.

Green Party leader Andrew Langan-Newton said: ‘It is entirely unsatisfactory and inappropriate for Minister Crookall to bury his head in the sand and ignore legitimate requests from the Green Party as to the legal justification for the decision to extend Crogga’s licence to explore for fossil fuels.

‘At this stage, we can only speculate as to why the minister is ignoring our requests for clarification but it may speak volumes for the legitimacy of the decision he has taken.’