Members of the public will question ministers face to face at a conference later this month.

The two-day conference will be held at the Villa Marina in Douglas on September 20 and 21.

Registration is now open for those interested in attending, with opportunities to listen and ask questions to the Chief Minister, alongside other ministers, members of Tynwald and guest speakers.

The government says the main focus of the inaugural event is the proposals outlined in the draft Economic Strategy.

The key topics include government’s response to current economic challenges, climate change, inflation, housing and communities, and healthcare and public finances.

There is also a question-and-answer session planned during the conference, allowing attendees to interrogate the panel as well as generate ideas for the island’s future.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said: ‘The government conference is the perfect opportunity for the public and government to meet and discuss the real challenges facing the Isle of Man, and importantly is a chance to help shape our solutions going forward.

‘With rising costs of living, inflation, war and a climate crisis, government cannot and will not shy away from the fact that the global landscape is challenging.

‘September’s conference will give us the means to provide further updates and enable more dialogue on this evolving and concerning topic.

‘Throughout both days, we will be running a series of talks and panel discussions to provide more information on a number of key areas focused around the economic strategy. This will form part of the wider consultation and enable us to bring back an updated economic strategy to Tynwald in November.

‘As well as being a fantastic opportunity to hear first-hand from ministers about government policies, I would like to see as many members of the public as possible come forward to engage with this event, to input your thoughts and opinions as to how we can all help create a secure, vibrant and sustainable future for our island.’

The conference is free to attend and people can register in advance or on the door on either day.

Further details, including a full agenda of the two days and a link to register can be found at: gov.im/IOMGconference