Isle of Man Treasurer, David Ashford has resigned after an employment tribunal criticised him over the sacking of a top medical official for whistleblowing.
The tribunal found Mr Ashford, who headed the Health Department though the pandemic until October last year, had been over-reliant on information from the Department’s Chief Executive.
It found the Chief Exceutive, Kathryn Magson, had blocked Medical Director, Rosalind Ranson’s access to politicians.
The tribunal ruled Dr Ranson (pictured) had been unfairly sacked after raising concerns that expert advice about the COVID-19 pandemic was not reaching senior politicians.
Earlier, Member of the House of Keys, the island’s Parliament, Chris Thomas had called for Mr Ashford to resign.
“If you have all those things said about you, to me you’ve got to walk away, regroup, because your position has been questioned,” Mr Thomas said.
Chief Minister, Alfred Cannan said the tribunal’s findings had caused “deep discomfort” and that reviews of the public sector would be carried out.
“Confidence in the Government has been damaged,” Mr Cannan said.
He said the reviews would consider the efficiency of the Government’s Office of Human Resources and the role and responsibilities of the Chief Secretary, the island’s highest ranking Public Servant.
This follows the announcement that the current Chief Secretary, Will Greenhow, would be taking early retirement after 12 years in the post.
Douglas, 22 May 2022
