A total of 229 complimentary VIP tickets for TT and Festival of Motorcycling have been provided by a government department since September 2016.

Details were given in a written reply by Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly to a Tynwald question from Julie Edge (Onchan).

She asked him to provide a breakdown of VIP tickets issued by his department showing how many tickets were issued and which organisation or individuals they were issued to.

In his reply, Mr Skelly said the only events for which the Department for Enterprise now issues VIP tickets are the TT and the Festival of Motorcycling. In 2017 50 tickets were given to seven politicians and their guests, the Governor, his guests and the Mayor of Douglas.

In 2018 the figure was 51 tickets, including seven to politicians and their guests. Last year 44 tickets were issued including to eight politicians and their guests. In addition a further 21 tickets were provided to cover the visit of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at the TT.

Tickets provided for good causes both racing and non-racing related, and discretionary visitor tickets totalled 15 in 2017 to individuals, their carers, charity organisations and other visiting quests.

That figure was 20 in 2018 and 28 tickets last year.

The tickets listed were all provided free of charge.

Mr Skelly said: ’Since the 2017 events, the department has had a formal policy in place for any hospitality ticket not purchased or a pass not supplied as part of a purchased package. The policy outlines implicitly that no complimentary VIP tickets, grandstand tickets or access passes are to be provided unless the request falls into one of the areas identified within that policy.’