A Tynwald Day petitioner says it is ’absolutely disgraceful’ that the rules for accepting grievances have been changed without notice.

Peel-based Freedom of Information campaigner Trevor Cowin (pictured) submitted a raft of petitions this year.

They cover topics including overseas aid, the site of the proposed new Peel sewage works, planning policy and a refusal to investigate his allegations of maladministration.

But when all were ruled out of order even before he had presented them, he cried foul, saying: ’The only thing that’s out of order is the clerk of Tynwald who has assumed powers he simply does not have.’

Now a report to Tynwald by the standing orders committee has ruled that two of his original eight petitions are in order after all.

But the report also reveals a change that has been made to the rules on petitions.

The committee says that ’from now on’ petitions for redress of grievance will not be accepted if they don’t demonstrate that the ’petitioner has a particular grievance’.

’Some petitions which are of general political interest may make suitable public petitions but will not be in order as petitions for redress of grievance,’ the report notes.

It states that this new stricter approach has been applied to this year’s petitions.

Mr Cowin said: ’They are making the rules up as the go along. It’s only guidance and not the law as it’s never been approved by Tynwald.

’Not only that but the report states the new approach will be adopted "from now on" but then says it will apply to this year’s petitions so they have contradicted themselves.’

’I think they have panicked when they’ve been caught out.’

Mr Cowin listed 14 petitions from last year which he said did not contain a personal grievance but were nonetheless ruled in order.

When his initial eight petitions for redress of grievance were ruled out of order before they were presented, he submitted a ninth questioning whether the clerk should continue in his role.

And when that petition was ruled out of time, he lodged a 10th questioning that decision - but this was also ruled out of time.

Mr Cowin said his ninth and 10th petitions have ’disappeared into the ether’ and are mention nowhere in the standing orders committee report.

Four petitions from this year have been ruled in order.

Two of these submitted by Mr Cowin relate respectively to the current and previous Tynwald commissioner for administration.

Also ruled in order is a petition by Julia Furner, of Kirk Michael, relating to educational provisions for dyslexic school children and one from David Jones, of Baldrine, about the alteration of planning documents.