Offshore energy strategies and government’s new policy blueprint will feature strongly Tynwald as swings into action today (Tuesday).

In an attempt to be topical, we did consider shoehorning into this preview a topical joke about wine and work meetings, but decided against due to the certainty that, by the time you read this, there will have been another revelation about the Downing Street mob’s novel take on what constitutes acceptable behaviour.

For all their perceived faults, our representatives haven’t plumbed such depths so, instead, we shall content ourselves with a look at what this week’s sitting - actually the second of the year following an extraordinary session at the start of January to approve pandemic public health measures - has in store.

Much of the main agenda could be overshadowed by what has cropped up since on the supplementary order paper.

That sees the latest Covid public health regulations put before Tynwald for approval and also the latest incarnation of a government policy document, called Our Island Plan. It is the government’s plan but presumably has the word ’our’ in the title to highlight preceding efforts at engagement and make us feel part of the process.

You can read more about what is in this document in this newspaper but, as with all new administrations, it confirms they want to do good things and hope to tell us in a little more detail some point later. It contains plenty of directions of travel and roadmaps, which may actually be the same thing.

It is it is hard to find fault with aspirational documents such as these and members probably won’t - unless they take the hump at the short gap between publication and debate - but that may not stop some of them tabling amendments to remind us why they are there.

The main order paper, meanwhile, starts with statements from Environment Minister Clare Barber, about regulation and safety of milk following a report into issues in the dairy industry, and one from Justice and Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson on reforms to the legal system.

There are some appointments to be confirmed before a motion tabled by Rob Mercer MLC calls on the Council of Ministers to review its strategy on offshore energy production and report back to Tynwald in June. Before Christmas, the government gave Crogga Ltd an extension on the time it has to survey Manx waters for gas and oil.

Meanwhile, Extinction Rebellion Isle of Man is planning a protest against extraction outside Tynwald.

Subjects set to be covered during question time include the masks policy on public transport and a series of questions about masks in schools. Tim Glover (Arbory, Castletown and Malew) will also quiz Education Minister Julie Edge about morale among school staff.

Other topics include the £400m bond taken out by government, patient support for sufferers of Long Covid and conservation areas.

Disappointingly, there is no question asking: ’What is the point of the new-fangled Register of Business and its requirement to publish documents well in advance of their scheduled appearance on an agenda, if the government just bypasses it on big things like the ferry terminal costs and its Island Plan?’

Maybe next time.