The island’s new Minister for the Department for Enterprise, Dr Alex Allinson, has talked to the Isle of Man Examiner's Working Week section about a healthier risk appetite, making more use of local experience and delivering a vibrant economy.

Now surprises there, but what is striking is how much he is also talking about what is, essentially, fairness and, to borrow a phrase from Boris Johnson, ’levelling up’. These are not just empty words, though, and nor should they be. Many people on the island understand that the gap between rich and poor has grown over the last few decades - and it’s not conducive to a successful economy.

It’s not an easy issue to solve but it is plainly at the front and centre of Dr Allinson’s thinking.

He says: ’We’ve had some people do very well, quite rightly, but also perhaps a larger number of people who haven’t felt that they’ve benefitted from economic growth. One of the things, if we’re going to bring our community together again after the last 18 months of the pandemic where we were all separated, is to make sure that we deal with that equality issue, that we have an economy that treats people equally, that everyone puts into but actually reaps the benefit from.

’And that’s because they see, both in their wage packet but also in their lifestyle, the benefits of living on the Isle of Man. So they can actually appreciate the wonderful scenery and landscape and the safety we have on the Isle of Man.

’But if you’re having to hold down three jobs to pay the rent then you don’t get a chance to do that.

’One of my roles before I came in here was to sit on a committee that looked at zero hours contracts on the Isle of Man and how that worked and I am committed to reforming our employment legislation here.’

The emphasis he puts on people, on giving them a good deal, good working conditions and affordable housing, is actually not so far away from what many of our larger businesses say they are already doing now: looking after staff and their physical and mental wellbeing and developing attractive packages to recruit and retain the skills they need.

Dr Allinson is certainly on board with that. He says: ’What we want to achieve, very much, is a highly skilled, knowledge based economy that pays people well, and where people have good conditions of working, so that we can not only retain the people that we need but also attract people from anywhere else in the world to come and work here.’

With his medical background, many people might have expected Dr Allinson to be appointed health minister but he says: ’I asked to come into the Department for Enterprise because of the scope of things that go on here. What I like about this department is it delivers. It produces strategies and policies and delivers services to the Isle of Man and to the wider community.

’I saw the potential in Enterprise in terms of that creativity and that ability to work with businesses but also employees here.

’And now is a really interesting time because we’ve got the Island Plan, which is looking particularly to make the Isle of Man a vibrant, sustainable and secure place for people to come and work and live.

’Also we’ve got the Economic Strategy being drawn up at the moment, based on the work from KPMG, and I see the DfE being able to deliver on that. Because one of the aspects of the Economic Plan will almost certainly be [not just] to bolster the businesses that are currently on island but also to further diversify the economy. This has been one of the real benefits of the previous administration, the fact that we do have quite an established manufacturing base as well as the financial base, as well as egaming.’

He goes on to say that the KPMG report looked, not only at some of the large companies and their contribution to GDP but also the sectors that employed more people on the Isle of Man, like the retail sector.

He says: ’These are relatively small in terms of GDP but employ a huge number of people. So we need to make sure, as part of an overall economic plan, that we don’t forget about those companies that are actually employing people. They are the ones who are allowing people to get food on the table at the end of the week and we must nurture them as well, rather than just going for sone of the high-flying companies.

’So it’s getting that balance right, right across the economic landscape.’

Making more use of local talent and experience

Dr Allinson is also keen to make more use of local talent and experience.

He says: ’The Chamber of Commerce are a very important stakeholder and now the agency model that has been set up, is bringing into strategic thinking some of the people from the businesses that are already established here and asking them to help us come up with the solutions to some of the problems they are facing.

’[In the past], whenever there was an issue and we needed an independent review, we’d fly someone in from London or Manchester to tell us how to do things better when, actually, there are an awful lot of people in the island who can give those answers.’

Aviation

’One of the immediate things that we’ve been tasked with is to sort out airlines because connectivity for the Isle of Man has always been important.

’With the collapse of Flybe and then the pandemic the aviation industry is in a real state of flux at the moment which is the ideal opportunity for us to look again at those strategic routes that we need to secure,’ says Dr Allinson.

He confirms that an immediate priority is reinstating a Dublin link and looking also at links into Manchester and London.

He says: ’We need to make sure that we have that connectivity for the benefit of the Isle of Man and not necessarily for the benefit of the airlines involved.’

He adds that, while the department was grateful to Micogaming for their support for the London City link: ’At those important times the government needs to step up and do things that nobody else can.

’What government can to is establish those links, maintain those links and actually enable both residents of the Isle of man to travel and also the visitor economy and the business sector as well.

’I see that not as a cost but as an investment in our future.’

TAX

Dr Allinson insists that he does not see the global corporation tax proposal as a threat to the island.

He says: ’This would affect perhaps some of the larger firms on the Isle of Man but what it would create would be a level playing field across all jurisdictions so that there would no longer necessarily be advantages to switching where your base is.

’I think sometimes the Isle of Man has been quite happy to stay under the radar on a whole range of things, sometimes for good reason. What I would like to see over this next five years is a littler bit more of a healthier risk appetite going forward, to promote some of the fantastic work that goes on in the Isle of Man. And also to promote some of the goods that we export to the world.’

I ask Dr Allinson what he would like to have achieved at the end of five years at the Department for Enterprise.

He says: ’I think what I would really like is, number one, to ensure that everyone has had their voice heard. That we have tapped into all the great ideas that are already out there, and facilitated more, and given people a space to aspire to do better.

’I do think that there is a real concern at the moment about poverty on the Isle of Man so that if we can grow the economy, and grow the economy in a way that provides well paid skilled jobs to anyone who wants them, that would be a real accomplishment.

’I would love to see in five years’ time that poverty was not longer the issue that it is today: no longer the threat, because we had secure employment laws, because we had a sustainable level of wages, and also people were able to progress through their careers and access extra training and educational skills if they needed it.’

Relaxing

When I ask Dr Allinson what he likes to do to relax the immediate response is an ironic ’Hmmm’.

After a few moment’s consideration of this apparently slightly alien concept, he says: ’I suppose one of the problems with a lot of people at the cutting edge of what’s been going on over the last 18 months is that we’ve forgotten how to relax. I think there is a role for us to relearn that.

’I have an extremely supportive family who have been telling me that I need to relax and get a bit of perspective on what’s gone on.

’For me, relaxing is getting down to the simpler things in life and spending time with my friends and family, spending time in Ramsey, and enjoying some of that countryside we have. Seeing everyone on Teams is not a substitute for being able to walk down a beach with somebody you love.’

’One of the aspects of the Economic Plan will almost certainly be to bolster the businesses that are currently on island and also to further diversify the economy.’

These are some of the new sectors the DfE has been working on:

l InsurTech, or insurance technology, innovation is accelerating globally. Following a detailed feasibility and planning phase, the Isle of Man is now working alongside some key players within the industry to support the development of the island’s InsurTech ecosystem.

l In 2021 the Isle of Man Government introduced a flexible and detailed regulatory framework to allow commercial operators to grow, manufacture, distribute and export cannabis products under licence from the island. It is estimated that this new sector could bring around 250 new jobs and generate £3million in annual benefit in the coming years.

l The Internet of Things describes a network of physical objectsâ?? ’Things’â??that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the transfer of data without the need for human interaction. A simple example would be home lighting you can control from an app on your smartphone while you’re out.

One of the new initiatives that the Department for Enterprise agency, Digital Isle of Man, are exploring is the development of ’Trial Isle’, which will position the Isle of Man as a destination for innovation, particularly in the Internet of Things and green technology spaces.

l Digital Isle of Man is also engaging the esports industry to capitalise on the opportunities this emerging sector presents. They are working on creating legislation and regulation; teaming up with key entities to help write the rules, determining how those rules are actively enforced and who should be licensed as a result.

l CleanTech, which includes clean energy, environmental and sustainable, or green, products and services is another sector with potential for the island. Enhancing our ability to generate renewable energy, providing energy storage facilities, improving heating and energy efficiency in buildings and introducing low carbon vehicles are just a few of the opportunities this sector offers in the near future.

I would love to see in five years’ time that poverty was not longer the issue that it is today