Allegations that a taxpayer-funded venue was used to promote ’gay conversion therapy’ will be ’discussed’, a government Minister has pledged.

During a Tynwald discussion last week about the rules concerning use of government buildings by external groups, Education, Sport and Culture Minister Graham Cregeen circulated the terms and conditions for different premises.

Julie Edge (Onchan) said there appeared to be differences between some of the documents for the National Sports Centre and the Villa Marina.

Clare Bettison (Douglas East) asked: ’Are there any activities that would be unacceptable within the use of the bookings, such as gay conversion therapy or other similarly unacceptable activities in public premises?’

Last month the Living Hope Church issued a denial of claims that had been made following an event it staged at the Villa.

Mr Cregeen told Tynwald: ’We had heard there had been concerns raised regarding the Living Hope that had a conference on there.

’They denied that that sort of therapy went on, but these areas will be discussed at the department later on.’

Ms Edge sought an assurance that any staff who raised concerns about an event held in a government venue would not be vulnerable to anything to their ’detriment’.

Assurance

Mr Cregeen said there would be certain terms and conditions with which staff would have to abide and that there could be private bookings where details of the event could be confidential.

’If a member of staff does have a concern, as was stated earlier, they will be able to go to their line manager and I have been advised that, if they have serious concerns regarding that, that other staff will be put in place.’

Some 650 delegates attended a Four12 conference, hosted by Living Hope and held over three days last month at the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall.

But concern over some of the sermons was posted on social media, sparking a major row. Living Hope denied alleged comments on homosexuality and also claims that a preacher told a cancer-sufferer he did not need to take medication because he would be healed by the Holy Spirit.

Living Hope’s statement hit out at ’Christianophobic attacks’, adding: ’It seems clear that there is a campaign to prevent Christians from gathering in any large number to express their faith, and to make the Isle of Man a hostile place for local Christians and visiting followers of Jesus Christ from other countries.’

In 2015, Living Hope was named in the House of Keys as being in the top 20 of Manx-registered charities, ranked by income. Last year, it emerged elders from Living Hope church had visited six schools up to five times a year to discuss subjects.