The issue of scaffolding on government owned buildings was brought into sharp focus during Tuesday’s sitting of House of Keys as Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse led the discussion.

Mr Moorhouse raised concerns over the length of time scaffolding remained on government buildings compared to private properties, citing the Railway Inn pub in Douglas as an example of a private site where scaffolding was quickly erected and removed.

‘Scaffolding that appears on government buildings does seem to be there for a considerable amount of time,’ said Mr Moorhouse.

He also questioned the Department of Infrastructure's (DoI) expenditure and procurement practices relating to scaffolding.

In response to Mr Moorhouse’s query on monthly scaffolding costs, the Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Michelle Haywood provided a detailed breakdown of expenses over the last six months.

The were:

Dr. Haywood explained that scaffolding is used for varied purposes, including building support and access for ongoing projects.

She emphasised that all scaffolding services are procured in line with financial regulations but acknowledged that no review of scaffolding costs over the past three years had been conducted.

When pressed by Mr. Moorhouse on whether a specific officer oversees scaffolding costs to help reduce expenditure, the Minister said: ‘My department is wide and varied, so different divisions have different needs for scaffolding at different times.

‘However, we do not yet operate a select list for scaffolding services.’

Julie Edge MHK raised a supplementary question about the scaffolding at the historic Tramway Terrace, which has attracted much public interest over the past year.

The Douglas Promenade site, part of the 1877 Douglas horse tram complex, was initially set to be demolished last year after an independent structural report deemed the building to be unsafe.

But the building was later thrown a lifeline after a conservation engineer said the building was still repairable despite parts of the site requiring urgent work.

Back in August this year, the Department of Infrastructure said it would begin the procurement process to carry out repairs at the site.

In the meantime, scaffolding remains in place at the front of Tramway Terrace to support the building.

Dr. Haywood confirmed that associated costs related to the building were included in the monthly figures presented but did not specify whether it was funded from minor capital or capital funds.

Chris Thomas MHK asked whether the department has a policy on hiring versus purchasing scaffolding, noting that the Manx Development Corporation owns a significant amount of scaffolding.

Dr. Haywood said that she would investigate this matter further.