The government has been accused of dragging its feet over drawing up a definitive population policy.

Bill Shimmins (Middle) hit out after hearing that a paper would be produced by the end of the year, to provide a framework that would cover all policies affecting population.

He pointed out Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas had first demanded that government should draw up a population action plan - when he was still a backbencher - in 2015.

’At that time, he advised we need a population policy when constructing our schools and designing our health and social care provision,’ said Mr Shimmins.

’He questioned the validity of the strategic plan stating: "Do we really need 5,000 houses built before 2026?"

’Times have changed. We are three years on and the Minister is now happy to delay debate on population and the importance of the policy when previously, he was insisting that we considered that when considering important strategic matters.’

Mr Thomas quipped those comments showed he was ’a long way ahead of the game’.

He argued that many of government policies were already cognisant of population issues.

The Minister added: ’We do now have a population set of actions and outcomes and it will be helpful to bring those all together into one document so people can see how connected and inter-connected the policies that were put together in the Programme for Government really are to rise to these challenges.’

He said the Isle of Man population would ’certainly’ be different in 10 years’ time.

’It could be different for the better, it could be different, probably, for the worse, but we need to get society to come to a consensus about what the better and the worse looks like.’

He gave a firm commitment to hold a full population policy debate in Tynwald before the end of the year.

Mr Thomas added: ’We have a well-thought-out population policy and practice and the officers will put it together into one document as soon as possible.

’There is a degree of success already from the policies that we have in place.

’There was a decline in population which we seem to have reversed and there are green shoots about it.’

He said the most recent figures showed a population increase of 300, while there were 600 more people in work.

’We now have an integrated population policy that just needs to be written down.’