A government Minister told the House of Keys that an administrative error over delegated planning appeal decisions was ‘hugely regrettable’.

It came following a row over planning approval being given to broadband poles in Peel.

Manx Telecom was given the go-ahead to install the poles for broadband connection on Bellevue Park Carmane Close and Cronk Reayrt after backbench MHK Lawrie Hooper went against a planning inspector’s recommendation.

But his decision came despite another former Minister rejecting similar applications for broadband poles in Mr Hooper’s own Ramsey constituency.

Peel MHK Kate Lord-Brennan questioned why DEFA Minister Clare Barber delegated the decision to Mr Hooper when he is no longer a member of her department.

She said he had ‘no business taking these deviant decisions’.

In the House of Keys this week she quizzed the DEFA Minister over the legal basis for the planning appeal decisions.

Mrs Barber confirmed that there had been an administrative error contained within the delegation used for recent planning appeals.

This, she said, was a technical issue regarding the drafting of the delegation, which led to wrong section of the act being referenced.

The Minister said: ‘It's acknowledged that the matter could be subject to legal challenge by petition of doleance. The department has now taken steps to ensure that such an error does not occur again. It's hugely regrettable.’

Ms Lord-Brennan asked: ‘How can the minister honestly consider these decisions valid? How can she, or how long will she stand by these recently made decisions? Because it's actually either the case that the decisions weren't made, or they were made and they weren't based on valid law.’

Mrs Barber replied: ‘As I understand it, I do not have the power to change any decision that has been made, except via a doleance procedure.’

The Minister was asked how many decisions had referenced the wrong section. She said didn’t have the exact number with her but would circulate that information to members.