The Council of Ministers expects to begin considering the controversial Mooir Vannin offshore wind farm proposals in December, but it remains unclear which ministers have declared potential conflicts of interest.

Chief Minister Chris Thomas told the House of Keys on Tuesday (November 3) that the government was awaiting a report following an independent examination of the application by energy company Ørsted.

He said any potential conflicts of interest within the Council of Ministers would need to be addressed once the report had been received.

Mr Thomas was responding to former Chief Minister Alfred Cannan, who asked which ministers had declared conflicts arising from previous public statements about the proposals and what arrangements had been made to prevent them from participating in the decision.

Mr Cannan said Tynwald needed to know who would and would not be involved in considering the application.

Mr Thomas confirmed that, if the Council of Ministers decided to approve the development, the application would then be referred to Tynwald.

The independent Examining Body is expected to submit its report and recommendation by early December. The Council of Ministers then has 30 working days to reach a decision.

Earlier in the sitting, Speaker David Ashford used his discretion to allow Mr Cannan's question despite parliamentary restrictions on discussing matters which are sub judice.

Members were not permitted to ask supplementary questions about the application itself.

The issue of parliamentary scrutiny has proved controversial, with standing orders changed in 2025 to extend sub judice restrictions to live planning applications.

The change has prevented debate on major proposals, including Mooir Vannin and Westmoreland Village.

A motion to reverse the rule was rejected by Tynwald in July, but newly elected Garff MHK Richard Henthorn has tabled another attempt for this month's sitting.

Ørsted is proposing to install around 87 turbines between six and 12 nautical miles off the island's east coast.

The company says the project could deliver around £2bn in financial benefits to the Isle of Man.