Attorney General's Chambers
16 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 212.5%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Isle of Man Attorney General's Chambers reveal an authority that is highly responsive to specific, factual queries regarding staffing, software costs, and high-profile charity oversight, yet systematically opaque regarding policy formulation, legal aid reform, and the evidentiary basis of criminal law. A recurring theme is the 'information not held' response, particularly concerning prosecution statistics (cases 379034, 2264429) and the scientific justification for drug scheduling (case 1623265), which suggests a fragmented data infrastructure where the AG's Chambers does not centrally aggregate operational policing data. However, this opacity is not absolute; the authority has been compelled to release sensitive contract details regarding legislative drafting (case 3992277) and has disclosed significant financial data on legal costs for defending public officials (cases 2021153, 2441298), indicating that while policy documents are often shielded by privilege or claimed non-existence, financial trails are increasingly visible.
Key Cases
Case 3992277 — This case represents a significant victory for transparency where the Information Commissioner overruled the Attorney General's Chambers' blanket refusal to release contracts with 'SEA PEGASUS DRAFTING SERVICES,' forcing the disclosure of cost-benefit analyses and unredacted contracts regarding legislative drafting.
Case 1216681 — Highlights a major conflict of interest in 'Operation Braid' involving former AG John Quinn. The authority confirmed the involvement of a UK barrister but successfully withheld specific details of the conflict under FOI exemptions, raising questions about accountability in high-level fraud investigations.
Case 4714237 — Provides concrete evidence of regulatory friction with King William's College, disclosing significant delays and re-submissions of annual accounts from 2021-2023, contrasting with the authority's frequent 'information not held' responses in other charity-related requests.
Case 1623265 — A notable refusal where the AG's Chambers admitted they do not hold the scientific or legislative foundation evidence justifying the classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, exposing a potential gap in the evidentiary basis for current drug laws.
Case 2374877 — Involves a partial upholding of a request for a legal aid review report by the late AG John Quinn. The authority refused release citing 'future publication' exemptions, arguing that premature disclosure would compromise policy formulation, a controversial stance on internal reviews.
Related FOI Stories
Legal Aid and Public Defence Scrutiny — #379139, #2374877, #2176273, #2176274, #2221316
High-Profile Litigation and Settlement Costs — #2021153, #2009761, #2441298, #2603077, #2374877
Criminal Justice Statistics and Drug Policy — #379034, #2264429, #1623265, #3937873, #3937874
Charity Regulation and Financial Oversight — #1746173, #3086365, #4714237, #4749973, #3984737
Legislative Drafting and External Contractors — #3356165, #3992277, #2572689, #1722493
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-27 | contempt of court bill 2018 | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2024-03-21 | Paul Robinson miscarriage of justice case costs | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-08-23 | legislation | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought a list of primary and subsidiary legislation drafted by external suppliers over the last five years, but the authority only disclosed details for two specific bills while refusing the rest due to lack of records, personal data, and confidentiality clauses. | ||
| 2023-04-27 | Number of registered charities | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought statistics on registered charities in the Isle of Man for April 2020 and April 2023, as well as data on non-submission of annual returns. The authority disclosed the registration numbers for both dates but refused the request regarding annual returns because the information was not held and would require creation. | ||
| 2022-11-17 | DHA legal support meta data | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-11-17 | freedom of information requests meta data | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-10-19 | HM AG civil legal aid report | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-09-16 | specific tribunal costs and hours | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought total legal costs and hourly breakdowns for the Mr Graeme Jones tribunal; the authority disclosed detailed billable hours but refused to provide financial cost data as it was not held. | ||
| 2022-02-14 | Cannabis prosecutions | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought statistics on cannabis prosecutions, verdicts, fines, and court costs on the Isle of Man since March 2019. The Attorney General's Chambers disclosed the number of offences committed for trial by jury and confirmed all resulted in guilty pleas, but refused to provide data on total prosecutions, fines, costs, and historical jury trials due to lack of records or excessive compilation effort. | ||
| 2022-01-28 | Benefit fraud prosecution costs | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought statistics on benefit fraud prosecutions, staff involvement, and costs over five years from the Attorney General's Chambers. The authority disclosed the number of prosecuted cases but refused to provide staff and cost data as it was not held. | ||
| 2021-09-27 | Isle of Man Government Out of Court Settlements | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for total out-of-court settlement payments by government departments and internal disciplinary case details for the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) over five years. The AGC disclosed that it paid zero settlements on its own behalf and confirmed at least four disciplinary cases were contemplated, but refused to provide departmental breakdowns or specific disciplinary outcomes as this information is not held centrally. | ||
| 2021-04-12 | Information | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked four questions regarding Isle of Man law, including the status of Halsbury's Laws, court types, the Settlement Act, and private prosecution documentation. The Attorney General's Chambers provided information on Halsbury's Laws and the Settlement Act but declined to answer questions about court administration and private prosecution documentation, citing a policy against providing legal advice to the public. | ||
| 2020-01-28 | Marina Development | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on the shortlisting stage for a new marina development, specifically regarding invited parties, sites, and future timescales. The Attorney General's Chambers disclosed that three parties were invited to bid on Douglas, Ramsey, and Port St Mary harbours, but stated they did not hold information on the timescales for the next stages. | ||
| 2018-07-02 | Restraint and Confiscation Orders | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought annual statistics on restraint and confiscation orders made by the Attorney General since 2008. The authority disclosed partial data from 2011 to July 2018, stating that complete records for earlier years were not held. | ||
| 2018-03-23 | Electoral Roll Fines | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the number of people fined and the total amount collected for failing to complete electoral roll returns on time. The Attorney General's Chambers responded that no prosecutions were brought, meaning zero people were fined and no money was collected. | ||
| 2018-01-04 | The outcome of Motoring prosecutions | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought the ratio of acquittals to convictions for motoring prosecutions over three years, broken down by offence category. The Attorney General's Chambers provided data for General Gaol trials from 2015-2017 and Summary Court trials for 2017 only, but could not supply Summary Court statistics for 2015 and 2016 as they are not held by the authority. | ||