The DoI intends to publish historic reports it commissioned on the potential risks of gas exploration.
In a written answer, Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall confirmed his department obtained technical advice between January 2019 and February 2025 “principally about risks relating to exploration and extraction of any gas which may be found subsurface in the licensed area”.
He said: “The Department did not commission any reports relating to the assessment of the existence of gas and whether it might be found in commercial quantities.”
The new minister was responding to a question from Douglas Central MHK, now Treasury Minister, Chris Thomas, who asked what reports had been provided to licence-holder Crogga Limited and if they would be shared with Tynwald.
Mr Crookall clarified that in October 2023 “the department did not share any reports or extracts from reports which it had received from its external advisers with Crogga Limited.”.
However, a consultant did give a presentation to the company at a meeting that month.
“The department is in the process of reconfirming with the authors of the Reports it has commissioned in the past that it can publish these documents, and subject to such confirmation they will be made available to Tynwald Members and the public,” he added.