Cabinet Office
110 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 133.6%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Isle of Man Cabinet Office reveal an authority that is generally cooperative regarding historical data, spending totals, and employment statistics, but fiercely protective of its internal deliberative processes and contingency planning. A clear pattern emerges where the government readily discloses the *cost* of its actions—such as the £425,000 legal retainer for Lansons (464233) or the £57,000 paid to John Barrett QC (1001057)—while withholding the *strategy* behind them. This is most evident in the Brexit cluster, where documents on 'Operation Yellowhammer' (937314) and food supply chains (984789) were entirely exempted, suggesting a 'need-to-know' approach to national security and economic stability that overrides public transparency.
Key Cases
Case 937314 — The complete refusal to disclose any documents regarding 'Operation Yellowhammer' (No-Deal Brexit contingency) is a critical case. It reveals the government's decision to keep its most sensitive emergency planning entirely hidden from public scrutiny, citing exemptions that prevent any insight into how the island prepared for a potential economic and logistical collapse.
Case 464233 — This case disclosed a massive £425,000 annual retainer for the law firm Lansons, plus an additional £70,000 for 'international scrutiny.' It highlights the significant financial burden of legal defense and reputation management on the public purse, likely linked to the island's financial crime investigations.
Case 354247 — The disclosure of the Cabinet Office paper regarding the UK Investigatory Powers Bill is notable for its intersection of national security and local legislation. It shows the Isle of Man's active role in shaping its own surveillance laws in alignment with the UK, raising questions about privacy and state powers.
Case 1001057 — Revealing that John Barrett QC was paid over £57,000 for a single planning inquiry (the East Area Plan) underscores the high cost of independent legal advice in government planning. It connects to a broader narrative of expensive external consultants being used to navigate complex land-use disputes.
Case 354255 — The full release of the 'Beamans Report' on modernizing ministerial government is significant because it provides a rare, unredacted look at internal critiques of senior management structures. Unlike many policy papers, this was fully disclosed, offering a benchmark for what transparency looks like when the government is willing to share reform documents.
Related FOI Stories
Brexit Contingency and Border Security — #354247, #358517, #354299, #354301, #354303
Legal Costs and High-Profile Appointments — #354269, #354289, #354291, #464233, #980113
Government Transparency and Policy Formulation — #354255, #354267, #354309, #354357, #357735
Public Sector Employment and Workforce Data — #354221, #354313, #354315, #354321, #354327
Ministerial Conduct and Travel Expenses — #354249, #354287, #354305, #357737, #622865
All (110)
Information not held (171) ·
All information sent (147) ·
Some information sent but not all held (110) ·
Some information sent but part exempt (95) ·
No information sent - all held but exempt (31) ·
Not upheld (25) ·
Upheld - partial (10) ·
Upheld - full (6) ·
Not required to fulfill request (4) ·
Decision Notice - Complaint not upheld (3) ·
Request lapsed - requested information not provided (2) ·
Decision Notice - Complaint part upheld (2) ·
Withdrawn (1) ·
Vexatious request (1) ·
Information Notice (1) ·
Decision Notice - Complaint upheld (1) ·
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-07 | external investigating officers | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought historical data on the number of independent external investigating officers available between 2017 and 2021 and their public sector employment history. The Cabinet Office disclosed that it only holds current data, stating there are eight officers in the 2021/22 financial year, seven of whom have had previous public sector roles. | ||
| 2022-03-04 | Climate Change Funding | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought a breakdown of initial £10m climate funding, costs for the Climate Change Transformation Team, staff details, and plans for an additional £42m expenditure. The Cabinet Office disclosed detailed spending on the initial fund and team costs, provided staff grades, but stated it did not hold the specific breakdown for the additional £42m, though it outlined the fund allocations. | ||
| 2022-02-07 | Mortality 2021 | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the Isle of Man mortality figure for 2021, but the Cabinet Office stated it does not hold the data yet as the report is scheduled for publication in April 2022. | ||
| 2022-01-18 | Island Plan | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on the Cabinet Office's consultation for the draft Island Plan, including respondent numbers, internal directives on consultation duration, local authority responses, and drop-in session attendance. The authority disclosed the total number of written respondents and detailed attendance figures for drop-in sessions but confirmed that no written direction regarding the consultation timeframe existed and no responses were attributed to local authorities. | ||
| 2022-01-10 | Size of Government | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for a breakdown of permanent, contract, and temporary employees across all Government Departments, Statutory Boards, and Public Authorities, including data on repeat contractors. The Cabinet Office provided a spreadsheet detailing indefinite and limited-term employees but stated it does not hold data on agency workers or specific entities like Manx Utilities and the Isle of Man Post Office. | ||
| 2021-12-29 | Statistics on Immigration/Settlement by Claiming Domestic Violence | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for statistics on family visas, domestic violence complaints, and settlement applications based on domestic violence claims in the Isle of Man from 2016 to present. The Cabinet Office responded that some information was sent, but not all requested data was held by the authority. | ||
| 2021-12-15 | Money towards Covid-19 | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for details on money received by the Isle of Man government for COVID-19 and payments made to Manx media services. The Cabinet Office disclosed a spreadsheet of Public Health media payments but stated it did not hold information on funds received for vaccines or testing, while citing that some advertising data was already publicly accessible. | ||
| 2021-12-15 | Community deaths and abbotswood | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought monthly data on community deaths, paramedic callouts, and Abbotswood nursing home statistics from 2017-2021. The Cabinet Office provided links to existing mortality reports but withheld specific monthly breakdowns due to the cost of compilation and stated it does not hold paramedic or nursing home data. | ||
| 2021-12-09 | Have Your Say - Leadership | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for detailed results of the 'Have Your Say Pulse Survey 5: Leadership' for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, broken down by individual schools and services, and inquired about a publication delay. The Cabinet Office provided available data but stated it did not hold the specific breakdowns for individual schools, noting that publication of such detailed results is at the discretion of Chief Officers. | ||
| 2021-12-06 | Chief Minister's trip to London - December 2021 | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for details regarding Chief Minister Alfred Cannan's December 2021 trip to London, including costs, attendees, and return on investment. The Cabinet Office disclosed the itinerary, attendee positions, and partial cost breakdowns, but withheld final expense details and return on investment data as they were not held at the time. | ||
| 2021-11-19 | Updated Death Certificate Data | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for an updated list of deaths 'from' and 'with' COVID-19 for 2019, 2020, and 2021, as death certificates are held by the Civil Registry, not the Cabinet Office. The authority provided an updated spreadsheet containing cause of death data from Public Health, noting that no COVID-19 deaths occurred in 2019. | ||
| 2021-11-01 | 2021 IOM General Election voter turnout. | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought voter turnout statistics and eligibility data for the 2021 Isle of Man General Election, including specific figures for 16-17 year olds. The Cabinet Office disclosed comprehensive constituency-level turnout percentages, total eligible voters, and election results, though the response did not explicitly address the percentage of postal votes requested. | ||
| 2021-10-22 | Outstanding Census Forms | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for details on the 2021 Isle of Man Census, including outstanding forms, unaccounted persons, prosecutions, and costs, was partially fulfilled by the Cabinet Office. While specific data on outstanding forms, 2016 prosecutions, and total costs were provided, information on unaccounted persons and 2021 prosecutions was withheld as the census was still ongoing and the data not held. | ||
| 2021-10-14 | Sir Jonathan Michael / Beechlawn Consulting Limited | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on contracts and payments made to Sir Jonathan Michael and Beechlawn Consulting Limited for healthcare review services. The Cabinet Office disclosed a consultancy agreement dated June 2019 but indicated that not all requested information regarding payments was held. | ||
| 2021-09-17 | Chief Minister trip/trips off Isle of Man | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for details on Chief Minister Howard Quayle's official trips in September 2021 was partially fulfilled, with the Cabinet Office disclosing itineraries, purposes, and expenses for three trips while noting that some data for the first trip was held by the Department for Enterprise. | ||
| 2021-09-09 | OHR payroll team police rent and housing allowance | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for historical police rent and housing allowance figures from 1992 to 1995 and current employee counts, but the Cabinet Office only disclosed current data as historical records exceeded retention periods. | ||
| 2021-08-17 | Appeal number 19/0140/B | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought correspondence regarding a planning appeal involving the Cabinet Office, specific ministers, and the Department of Environment. The Cabinet Office provided some information for part 2 of the request but withheld personal data under exemption and confirmed it did not hold information for parts 1, 3, and 4. | ||
| 2021-07-22 | Death certifications | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for all death certificates or a list of deaths 'from' and 'with' COVID-19 for 2019, 2020, and 2021. The Cabinet Office disclosed a spreadsheet containing death registration data for 2020 and the first half of 2021, but confirmed they do not hold the actual certificates and noted there were no COVID-19 deaths in 2019. | ||
| 2021-07-22 | Modification of Covid Direction Notices | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought statistics on applications, modifications, and withdrawals of Covid Direction Notices, as well as the number of officials with delegated powers. The Cabinet Office disclosed specific figures for Key Workers and Returning Residents but stated it did not hold data on the total number of applications made by Returning Residents. | ||
| 2021-07-08 | Flying of Flags & Removal of Union Flag | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for policy documents regarding flag flying on government buildings, the history of the Manx Flag, and reasons for the removal of the Union Flag. The Cabinet Office disclosed that it holds Government Circular 0013/2012 but refused to provide a copy because the document is already reasonably accessible online. | ||
| 2021-06-30 | Index of each item in each line of the RPI calculation from Base | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for detailed RPI calculation data from January 2000 to May 2021, including line item indices, weights, and formula changes. The Cabinet Office disclosed data only from March 2008 onwards, stating that no records were held for the earlier period requested. | ||
| 2021-05-31 | HR services to the wider public sector | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for details on the legal basis, cost tracking, abuse patterns, and sanctions regarding HR services provided to the wider public sector. The Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold the requested data, clarifying that the Office of Human Resources provides advisory services rather than legal advice. | ||
| 2021-05-31 | OHR legal qualifications and training | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on OHR employees' legal qualifications, reliance on legal opinions, and tracking of whistleblowing concerns. The authority disclosed that OHR regularly seeks legal opinions but does not hold data on employee legal qualifications or recorded whistleblowing trends. | ||
| 2021-04-21 | IOM RPI: Leisure Goods | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought a list of items and index data for the Leisure Goods line in the Isle of Man RPI basket, as well as internal correspondence regarding its impact on inflation. The Cabinet Office provided the list of items but confirmed it does not hold the requested internal correspondence or index data. | ||
| 2021-03-29 | planning application 18/00144/B- former Glenside Home | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for correspondence regarding the selection of Inspector Mr Hurley and conflict of interest protocols for planning application 18/00144/B was partially fulfilled, with the Cabinet Office stating that most specific documents were not held as processes were verbal or standard. | ||
| 2021-03-11 | Referred to by department of health | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked the Cabinet Office for various statistics including flu death rates, vaccination status of flu deaths, and legal questions regarding common law and vaccine passports. The Cabinet Office confirmed it does not hold information on Ct/Cq thresholds, flu deaths by vaccination status, or legal definitions, but provided specific flu death statistics for 2018-2020. | ||
| 2021-03-05 | Steam Packet and Public Health meeting minutes and notice | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for meeting minutes between the Steam Packet Company and Public Health regarding crew isolation, and a copy of a government direction notice from the start of the pandemic. The Cabinet Office confirmed no such meetings occurred between February and March 2021, but released an Exemption Certificate issued to the company in March 2020. | ||
| 2021-02-22 | Independent Inspectors - planning appeals | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for details on Independent Inspectors for planning appeals, specifically focusing on the performance appraisals and complaints regarding Mr. Michael Hurley. The Cabinet Office disclosed the list of current inspectors and confirmed no complaints against Mr. Hurley, but stated they do not hold records of his performance appraisals. | ||
| 2021-01-11 | Flu vaccine 5 year uptake. | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought five years of flu vaccine uptake data for the Isle of Man, but the Cabinet Office only provided statistics for the 2019/2020 season, noting that not all requested information was held. The response includes detailed breakdowns by age group, risk category, and medical practice for October, November, and December 2019. | ||
| 2020-12-29 | Suicides | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for suicide statistics on the Isle of Man from 2016 to 2020 was partially fulfilled, as the Cabinet Office could not provide 2020 figures due to pending registrations and coding. The response disclosed available data categorized by year of registration and year of death for the period 2016 to 2019. | ||
| 2020-12-04 | IOM Primary Schools - Overweight and Obese Pupil Data | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought BMI data for overweight and obese Reception pupils across Isle of Man primary schools for academic years 2015-16 through 2019-20, along with benchmarking data. The Cabinet Office disclosed detailed statistics for the 2015-16 and 2017-18 academic years but indicated that not all requested information was held. | ||
| 2020-10-14 | Essential Workers | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for statistics on overseas essential workers in the Isle of Man over the last six months, including testing data, length of stay, and duration of visits. The Cabinet Office disclosed the number of approved applications and average stay duration but confirmed it did not hold data regarding pre-arrival COVID testing. | ||
| 2020-10-05 | Key worker exemptions | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought sector-specific data on key worker exemptions under the Emergency Powers Act since April 2020, including travel details from ports. The Cabinet Office provided exemption counts by sector but confirmed it does not hold data on how many workers traveled away from ports. | ||
| 2020-09-16 | Request regarding Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made to the Isle of Man Cabinet Office for data on employee numbers and Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) policies, balances, and costs. The authority disclosed full-time and part-time employee counts but confirmed it does not hold information on TOIL balances or costs due to the operation of a flexi-time scheme. | ||
| 2020-09-14 | Travel Requests | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for statistics on non-resident travel to the Isle of Man during partial border reopening was partially fulfilled, with specific counts provided for compassionate and contractual travel requests, while data on reasons, countries of residence, and resident departures was withheld as not held. | ||
| 2020-08-24 | Coronavirus Daily Briefings | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for details on external suppliers, costs, and justification for using outside services for the Isle of Man's coronavirus daily briefings. The Cabinet Office disclosed the background reasons for the decision, including the need for a centralized feed and remote capabilities, but did not provide specific supplier names or costs in the provided text. | ||
| 2020-07-30 | Returning Residents | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2020-03-09 | South Douglas by election | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the specific dates of each stage in the South Douglas by-election process. The Cabinet Office provided a draft timetable but noted that the election was postponed indefinitely following an announcement by the Chief Minister on 16 March 2020. | ||
| 2020-01-29 | Retirement | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for data on civil servant retirements, pensions, and re-employment was partially fulfilled by the Isle of Man Cabinet Office, which provided retirement statistics but withheld pension and re-employment data. | ||
| 2019-12-17 | Naturalisation/Registration of British Citizens | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought detailed statistics on British citizenship applications, including breakdowns by type, nationality, and processing times for the Isle of Man between 2016 and 2019. The Cabinet Office provided historical data on application totals and financial year breakdowns but refused requests for specific nationality data and post-2017 naturalisation/registration splits, citing that such information would require creating new data or substantial analysis. | ||
| 2019-12-17 | Worker Migrant - Confirmation of Employment | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for detailed statistics on Worker Migrant Confirmations of Employment and data sharing agreements was partially fulfilled by the Isle of Man Cabinet Office. The authority disclosed available CoE data in an appendix but refused requests for employer names, refusal statistics, and specific SOC code analysis as this information is not held or would require creating new data. | ||
| 2019-12-02 | Internal Division running costs | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for staffing details and running costs of a non-existent 'International Development Division', which the Cabinet Office clarified falls under the External Relations team. While general salary scales and pension percentages were provided, specific FTE allocations for development work and office space costs were withheld as the authority does not hold this granular data. | ||
| 2019-10-28 | Michael Hurley | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for details regarding payments, accommodation, and travel expenses for Michael Hurley acting as an inspector for the Eastern Area Plan and planning appeals. The Cabinet Office disclosed daily rates, hotel names, and specific accommodation costs for the Eastern Plan, but refused to provide total historical payments or detailed subsistence breakdowns for planning appeals as the information was not held or would require derivation. | ||
| 2019-10-28 | Wedding - Garden of Government House-15 September 2018 (Malarkey) | Some information sent but not all held |
| A requester sought details regarding the authorization and use of Government House gardens for an MHK's daughter's wedding in September 2018, questioning potential conflicts of interest and public access rules. The Cabinet Office responded that some information was provided, but not all requested data was held by the authority. | ||
| 2019-10-15 | Rates Bks | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made regarding the costs and ownership definition methods for BKS work on a new rating system. The Cabinet Office disclosed a partial cost figure but stated they do not hold information regarding how ownership would be defined. | ||
| 2019-10-13 | Letters | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for government policies on letter signatures and font sizes, referencing a past Tynwald report. The Cabinet Office disclosed that no policy exists for signatures but confirmed a minimum 10pt font size requirement in the Corporate Identity Guidelines. | ||
| 2019-09-27 | Engagement of John Barrett QC for Area Plan Inquiry | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought correspondence, appointment reasons, and costs regarding John Barrett QC for the Area Plan for the East inquiry. The Cabinet Office disclosed that no correspondence was held, explained the appointment followed a mini-tender, and revealed an hourly rate of £200. | ||
| 2019-09-05 | planning appeal information | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought statistics on planning appeals in the Isle of Man between 2015 and 2019, including total numbers, proportions of written submissions, and average processing times. The Cabinet Office provided data on appeal totals and submission proportions but refused to disclose average processing times due to practical refusal reasons. | ||
| 2019-08-27 | special leave & compassion leave | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2019-01-23 | East Plan | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought costs for drafting and consulting on the East Area Plan and the specific budget for Tynwald approval. The Cabinet Office disclosed total costs of £54,854.15 incurred since April 2016 but confirmed no specific budget exists for the Tynwald approval stage. | ||
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