The Department of Home Affairs has come under fire for taking 15 years to update the law on court evidence.

It relates to what evidence can be admitted in court, particularly mobile phone records and text messages.

The Criminal Evidence Bill, which updates Manx law to avoid such evidence being thrown out of court, is being fast-tracked to stop the Isle of Man becoming a ’haven for drug dealers’ - which was the warning from Attorney General John Quinn.

It actually replicates aspects of a UK law that was brought in in 2003.

When the bill was debated in the House of Keys on Tuesday, Lawrie Hooper (LibVannin, Ramsey), was critical of the length of time that it had taken for the island to catch up.

He asked: ’Why has it taken the Department of Home Affairs 15 years to make what is, quite honestly, a straightforward and rather sensible set of amendments to keep up with the ever-changing pace of technology?

’Is this going to keep happening?

’This is not the first time that the Department of Home Affairs has brought a bill to try and address issues from long in the past.’

Department of Home Affairs member Dr Alex Allinson, who is in charge of guiding the bill through the House of Keys, said: ’I completely agree that 15 years is far too long to wait to bring in what is seen as an important change.

’But it only became an important change, relating to our ability to bring to justice drug dealers relatively recently.’

The issue arose after a trial ruling earlier this year on the admissibility of evidence from mobile phones.

A defence team argued that an incoming text message, purporting to be from a drug dealer’s client, was ’hearsay’, and therefore inadmissible.

Unusually, the Criminal Evidence Bill was first introduced in - and passed by - the Legislative Council rather than the House of Keys.

Last week, MHKs approved the principles of the bill by granting it a second reading.