'Too early' for figures on cuts

All government departments are expected to be hit

The Isle of Man government is still considering how much money should be cut from departmental budgets in the next financial year.

Treasury minister Allan Bell said it was "far too early" to give Michael MHK David Cannan detailed information he wanted in a House of Keys question.

The government is to lose up to £140m a year from 2011 because of the UK's revision of VAT sharing arrangements.

Mr Bell said officials had been working on a number of financial scenarios.

Full implications

Chief Minister Tony Brown has already warned the drop in income could mean redundancies in the public sector and a reduction in some services.

And last week the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) was the first to admit it faced cuts in some services.

In his question, Mr Cannan was seeking a breakdown of how much each department would be required to reduce spending.

But in his reply, Mr Bell said: "It is far too early to provide the information the Honourable Member is seeking.

"We have been working on a number of different financial scenarios, but it is only right and proper that the Council of Ministers consider the full implications of each before proposing the most appropriate way forward.

"It is also prudent to await the latest financial projections before completing our budget for 2010-11, which will be presented in February 2010."