We are in danger of having government consultations ’coming out of our ears’ an MHK has warned.

Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew) wanted to know whether the government was planning to cut down on the number of consultations it staged.

After hearing Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas suggest the government’s new online consultation facility could actually result in fewer but better targeted consultations, Mr Moorhouse commented: ’We seem to have issues, still, in terms of consultations almost coming out of our ears.’

He told the House of Keys last week: ’It is the 78th working day of the year today. Already 28 consultations are proposed and eight have been carried out.’

Mr Thomas said Mr Moorhouse had made a good point.

’Essentially, people and departments can consult too much,’ the minister admitted.

He said an earlier decision, about not holding a consultation over the new consultation system, had begun the process of ’actually encouraging people to really reflect on why they are consulting’.

Mr Thomas added: ’Sometimes it is not actually necessary to consult, sometimes it is necessary to consult twice.

’For instance, the Education Department went through a proper process consulting on principles because changes in education can be controversial and has now got a very clear answer about the principles so that the legislation can be drafted in line with those publicly accepted principles.’

He said the positive side to the new consultation process had been highlighted best by the massive response to the consultation on Dr Alex Allinson’s Abortion Reform Bill.