The Department of Home Affairs has been ’papering over the cracks’ for too long, its minister has admitted.

Tynwald last week approved a request from Home Affairs Minister Bill Malarkey for an extra £1.5 million to cover an overspend in the current financial year.

He told members: ’I would not be here if it was not absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, we have been papering over the cracks for too long and this is the end result.

’Over the past eight years, the department has tried to make do. We have had few budgetary increases and yet public expectation remains high.’

The department is responsible for the police force and fire service and he said keeping the community safe was always the priority.

One of the financial problems was caused by the expansion of the economic crime unit, in response to international obligations.

’As the economic crime unit has developed and the Financial Intelligence Unit has become increasingly effective, so the requirements of the ECU have become clearer,’ he said.

’My department has worked to produce a realistic zero-based budget for the ECU which helped inform the 2019-20 budget. This did not, however, address the additional cost pressures generated in this financial year.’

He said there was a number of ’large and complex cases’ that were ongoing.

Staffing was the other main cost driver, he said. The department employs 655 and most of those were on the front line, he said.

Pay awards amounted to an extra £600,000 and the DHA had ’very little wriggle room’.

He added that the department had committed to finding savings of £250,000 in the coming financial year.

Prior to the Tynwald debate on his request, Mr Malarkey circulated a memo detailing precisely where the extra money was going, which also included increased operational costs for the police.

It broke down as follows: pay awards (2018/19), £599,000; ECU/other cost pressures (2017/18), £532,000; police operations £150,000; forensic accounting, £250,000; IT support £20,000. Total amount: £1,551,000.

’This is money that we have been moving from one place to another place over the last few years trying to make up the difference, basically, and we can no longer do it,’ he said.

Members agreed to grant the extra money.