The Minister for Enterprise has been quizzed over the sporadic opening times of some of the island’s attractions.

At this week’s Tynwald sitting, Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Tim Glover asked Minister Tim Johnston whether Manx National Heritage (MNH) has sufficient funding to fully open its heritage sites for the 2025 tourist season.

Mr Johnston said he had been advised by MNH all attractions and heritage sites were open as usual during the March to October season.

But Mr Glover raised concerns over the short opening times of many MNH attractions.

He said: ‘We will welcome tens of thousands of visitors to our shores in the coming weeks. And if there are going to heritage sites to discover hidden treasures, as it's advertised, some of them do remain hidden on certain days.

‘In my own constituency, the old House of Keys is only open on a Saturday and a booking is required while the Old Grammar School is only open Wednesday and Saturday at 10 o'clock with booking required.

‘Does he actually stand by saying that our heritage sites are fully open?’

Mr Johnston said the opening times were a decision for the board of trustees.

He said: ‘MNH takes into account demand and whether what resources there are when making those decisions.’

He went on to explain how the funding works, adding: ‘The annual expenditure is spread across key priority areas, with only loan charges, wages and salaries being covered by the financial support from the Treasury.

‘Other essential obligations include planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, infrastructure costs, supplies and services, conservation of objects in their care, is funded by additional income generation.

‘But I think everyone makes a very good point. These, these sites, are incredibly important to us.

‘The board will make the decisions based on demand and resource. Having something open all day every day is not always a sensible use of resources. They're the sort of day to day decisions that the trustees will have to make.