Lawrie Hooper is now four months into his first ministerial role as health minister, after five years as a backbench MHK for Ramsey.

We asked him how different the job is compared to his political career before it, and how he’s finding things.

’If I’m honest, when I got re-elected [in September’s general election] I wasn’t intending on taking up a ministerial post at the time,’ said Mr Hooper.

’It wasn’t something that was forefront of my mind. And then when the Chief Minister [Alfred Cannan] started talking about it, health was not on the top of my list - it wasn’t the area which I thought I’d be best suited for.

’But then having looked into it a little bit, and actually when someone gives you the opportunity and says "Do you want to improve the health service?" - you wouldn’t say no to that opportunity would you, let’s be quite frank.

’So I said "absolutely", let me in there.’

He added: ’But actually the role of the department [of health and social care] is very much one about audit and assurance in governance - and that’s my background, I’m an auditor by profession.

Mr Hooper previously worked as a chartered accountant.

’And so I’ve kind of slotted in I think, in some ways I think I felt lucky in that there’s a big challenge in terms of sorting the health service out, but the role of the department now is that kind of big picture strategic thinking, assurance and auditing, and making sure that Manx Care can deliver on that.

’And that actually does fit quite well with my skillset.’

Manx Care was formed in March 2021, to separate the department from the hands-on delivery of health services.

He continued: ’Has it been a learning curve? Yes, absolutely. I’m an accountant, I’m not a medic - so my understanding and experience of the health service has been very much as a "customer" of the health service, very much front end.’

Mr Hooper then related his experience as MHK.

’I’ve not had a lot of involvement over the last couple of years with dealing with heath issues with constituents, for two reasons,’ he said.

’One, because my previous party leader [Kate Costain] was health minister for a while, so she dealt with all of our health-related party queries.’

Mr Hooper is the current leader of the Liberal Vannin political party.

’Two, my constituency colleague [Alex Allinson] is a GP,’ he added.

’And so when it comes to knowing the health service inside and out, I’ve got a lot of support there from my constituency colleague.’

Mr Hooper continued: ’So moving into this space now has definitely shifted my landscape a little bit, in terms of my focus shifting away from the economic and other issues that I’m more comfortable dealing with, into something like this that I’m slightly less familiar with. But it’s been good - actually I think sometimes it’s nice to have an outside perspective.

’And that’s one of the reasons I brought my new team with me, in terms of my three political members - they weren’t in the department before, and two of them are newly-elected [MHKs Joney Faragher and Dr Michelle Haywood].

Mr Hooper said that there was nothing he ’wasn’t expecting’ among the challenges of the new post, despite the learning curve.

The previous Liberal Vannin leader, Kate Costain, was also health minister but sacked by Chief Minister Howard Quayle in 2018.

Does Mr Hooper still feel able to comment on all issues as a health minister that also acts as Liberal Vannin leader and a constituency MHK?

He replied: ’Yes, I was clear with my constituents when I was out canvassing that I don’t believe in collective responsibility - I don’t think it works, and as a party we don’t really hold to it.

’We reach agreement by consensus, and then go our own way if we have to.

’I certainly don’t feel constrained by anything. And my party has put out a number of press releases commenting on various things, including the Island Plan, which may not have been entirely in line with what the Council of Ministers wanted, but we are independent in that respect and I will always maintain that level of independence.

’And ultimately I work for my constituents, I don’t work for the Chief Minister.

’So if there’s ever a conflict between what I think I need to do in order to work for my constituents and do what I think is right, versus what CoMin expect me to do - I’m out the door.

’It’s not a complicated issue for me. The reality is it’s quite a simple choice, there isn’t a conflict between what your constituents need and what the government needs, because your constituents should win out every single time.’