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
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-08-17 | Gender demographic in LeAD | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for gender demographic data for the LeAD department over the last eight years, but the Cabinet Office only held and disclosed records for the past four years. | ||
| 2018-08-17 | Staff turnover at LeAD | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for staff numbers and turnover data for the LeAD department over the last eight years, but the Cabinet Office only held and disclosed data for the four years ending March 2018. | ||
| 2018-07-24 | Recorded deaths by suicide on the Isle of Man in the last 20 years. | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for suicide death records on the Isle of Man over the last 20 years was partially fulfilled, with the Cabinet Office providing data only for the years 2008 to 2014. | ||
| 2018-05-01 | Expenditure on single use plastics within the department | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2017-11-06 | Brussels Office, officer job description and reports to the Chief Minister | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought the job description of the Brussels officer and written reports issued to the Chief Minister in the last month. The Cabinet Office provided the job description but withheld the reports, stating they were not held as formal documents but rather as verbal and written briefings. | ||
| 2017-11-03 | Ministerial press briefings and political presentations | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought attendance records for Friday ministerial press briefings and counts of private political presentations to Tynwald members for the 2015-2017 period. The Cabinet Office disclosed the number of private presentations but confirmed it does not hold records regarding press briefing attendance or specific dates. | ||
| 2017-10-03 | Minutes of 27th September - Social Policy and Children's subcommittee; topic Children's Champion | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought minutes from a September 2017 Social Policy and Children's subcommittee meeting regarding the Children's Champion and the Education Bill. The authority released the relevant extract concerning the Children's Champion but confirmed that no information on the Education Bill was held as it was not discussed at that meeting. | ||
| 2017-09-22 | OHR information relating to Bullying, Harassment and Grievance reported instances | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought statistics on bullying, harassment, and grievance cases from 2011, but the Cabinet Office could only provide data from 2013 onwards due to record-keeping limitations and confidentiality regarding mediation outcomes. | ||
| 2017-09-21 | Market value of Government House, and further questions regarding the property | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for details on Government House, including market value, rent, utilities, and property specifications, was partially fulfilled by the Cabinet Office. While rent and utility payment details were disclosed, information regarding market value, square footage, and plans was withheld as it was not held by the authority. | ||
| 2017-06-29 | Dataset for the labour force participation rate | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for a labour force participation rate dataset equivalent to World Bank data for the Channel Islands, but the Cabinet Office only held data for total, male, and female rates, not the specific male/female ratio time series requested. | ||