Cabinet Office
610 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 24.1%
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 (610)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-01-06 | legal reserves fund drawdowns | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Cabinet Office for detailed breakdowns of legal reserves fund drawdowns, including specific costs for employment disputes and payments to legal chambers. The authority responded that it does not hold the requested information and suggested contacting the Attorney General's Chambers or Finance Shared Services instead. | ||
| 2022-01-06 | Suicide figures 2021 | All information sent |
| A request was made for the number of suicides and inquest verdicts recorded on the Isle of Man in 2021. The Cabinet Office disclosed that there were 11 registered deaths with a suicide verdict, all of which were subject to inquest. | ||
| 2022-01-05 | Abusive communications to MHK's and MLC's reported | Information not held |
| A request was made for statistics on abusive communications reported by MHKs and MLCs and the procedures for handling such reports. The Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold the requested information. | ||
| 2021-12-30 | World Economic Forum correspondence | Information not held |
| A request was made for all correspondence between Isle of Man Departments and the World Economic Forum from the previous two years. The Cabinet Office responded that they do not hold the requested information. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-12-24 | responses to the whistleblowing policy public consultation | All information sent |
| The request sought all public responses to the Cabinet Office's whistleblowing policy consultation and an indication of whether suggestions were accepted. The authority disclosed all information, providing a detailed table of comments from various respondents alongside the official responses and policy amendments made. | ||
| 2021-12-22 | Public Health | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made for information on current or planned public health campaigns to combat stress in the Isle of Man. The Cabinet Office responded that no specific documents were released because the information is already reasonably accessible online via the 'Are you OK' website and other Public Health resources. | ||
| 2021-12-20 | Chief Secretary's Xmas Drinks Invitees and Attendees | Information not held |
| A request was made for the number of invitees and attendees, along with their names and job titles, for a Christmas drinks event hosted by the Chief Secretary on 17 December 2021. The Cabinet Office responded that they do not hold the requested information. | ||
| 2021-12-15 | Conflict of interest | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought details on conflicts of interest regarding COVID-19 vaccine decision-making for MHKs, Dr Ewart, and the Emergency Advisory Group. The Cabinet Office confirmed Dr Ewart has no conflict, directed the requester to Tynwald for MHK registers, and provided links to public EAG minutes containing declarations. | ||
| 2021-12-15 | covid-19 media buying services | Information not held |
| The requester asked for details regarding a UK government media buying contract for COVID-19 advertising services involving the Isle of Man. The Cabinet Office responded that they do not hold this information and advised contacting the UK Government, while also warning that the requester's volume of submissions may be considered vexatious. | ||
| 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 | Money paid per covid-19 vaccine | Information not held |
| The requester asked the Cabinet Office about per-vaccine payments and funding for COVID-19 treatments in the Isle of Man. The authority responded that it does not hold this information and directed the requester to the Department of Health and Social Care or Manx Care. | ||
| 2021-12-15 | Covid numbers | Information not held |
| The requester asked for monthly Covid-19 mortality and positive test figures for 2020-2021, including symptom status. The Cabinet Office stated it does not hold the test data and referred the requester to Manx Care, while providing a link to existing online data for mortality figures. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-12-09 | Head of Communications for Manx Care | Information not held |
| A request was made for details regarding the recruitment process for the Head of Communications at Manx Care, but the Cabinet Office responded that the information is not held because the post was not advertised. | ||
| 2021-12-09 | Number of officers leaving IOM Constabulary. | All information sent |
| The request sought the total number of police officers leaving the IOM Constabulary between 2016 and 2020. The Cabinet Office provided figures for all requested years but noted that data for 2016 and 2017 may be inaccurate due to a system migration. | ||
| 2021-12-08 | Cabinet Office and UK ministry of Justice relationship during Covid19 | Not upheld |
| The requester asked for evidence of UK Ministry of Justice instructions to the Isle of Man Cabinet Office regarding COVID-19 measures and details of a 2020 meeting with British military officials. The Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold the requested information and suggested contacting the Constabulary or Department of Home Affairs for the meeting details. | ||
| 2021-12-06 | EU Whistleblowing Directive | Information not held |
| The requester sought all documents related to the EU Whistleblowing Directive and its potential extension to the Isle of Man, but the Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold such information. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-11-23 | Asylum applications | Information not held |
| A request was made for data on asylum applications received and accepted in the Isle of Man between 2010 and 2021. The Cabinet Office responded that no such information is held because the Isle of Man has no legislative provisions for asylum claims, resulting in zero applications received or approved during that period. | ||
| 2021-11-22 | Total cost of PCR tests imposed on unvaccinated resident travellers. | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Isle of Man Cabinet Office for data on the number and cost of PCR tests for unvaccinated residents between June and September 2021. The authority responded that it does not hold this information and suggested contacting Manx Care instead. | ||
| 2021-11-22 | Population figures | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for yearly population figures for the Isle of Man, the parish of Michael, and the village of Jurby since 1980. The authority responded that the data is already reasonably accessible via census reports for specific years (1981-2016) and clarified that figures for Jurby village specifically are not available, only for the parish. | ||
| 2021-11-22 | Area Plan for the North and West - site ID - JR001 | Information not held |
| A request was made for details of comments received regarding Site ID JR001 under the Area Plan for the North and West. The Cabinet Office responded that they do not hold this information as the Planning Policy Team received no responses. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-11-11 | IOM GOV funding Manx Media | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for data on Cabinet Office funding for Manx media regarding coronavirus campaigns and general media spending from 2015. The authority partially responded by clarifying the scope of the request but withheld information on pre-pandemic spending as it fell outside the original request's scope. | ||
| 2021-11-05 | whistleblowers participation in mandatory whistleblowing training | All information sent |
| The requester asked how many previous or pending whistleblowers were invited to contribute to government whistleblowing training materials or sessions. The Cabinet Office responded that no whistleblowers were invited for these specific activities, though public consultations on the policy occurred in 2015 and 2021. | ||
| 2021-11-01 | Accuracy of LFD testing regime | Information not held |
| The requester asked for records detailing the specificity and sensitivity of COVID-19 testing procedures used on the Isle of Man in October 2021. The Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold this information and suggested contacting Manx Care instead. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-10-28 | National Covid Response Group | All information sent |
| The request sought details on the membership, meeting frequency, and publication of minutes for the National Covid Response Group. The Cabinet Office disclosed the full list of members and officers, confirmed a minimum monthly meeting schedule, but stated that agendas and minutes are not currently published. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-10-18 | Electricity; Gas and Vehicle Fuel | Upheld - full |
| The requester asked for electricity, gas, and vehicle fuel usage records for the 2018-19 to 2020-21 financial years, but the Cabinet Office stated it does not hold data by financial year or for 2021, instead directing the requester to the 'Isle of Man in Numbers' publication for calendar year data. | ||
| 2021-10-15 | Area Plan for the North and West | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought details on new site submissions for the North and West Area Plan received after the February 2020 deadline. The authority disclosed a specific public consultation response submitted in June 2021 regarding housing, employment, and site boundaries, while withholding other information under exemptions. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-10-01 | Cost of Covid-19 public information advertising and notices. | All information sent |
| A request was made for total government spending on Covid-19 public information advertising across all departments, but the Cabinet Office only provided figures for its own department. The response disclosed specific amounts spent on general advertising and payments to Manx Radio and IOM Newspapers between February 2020 and September 2021. | ||
| 2021-09-29 | Tribunals | All information sent |
| The request sought annual statistics on employment tribunals lost by the Isle of Man Government and out-of-court settlements from 2017 onwards. The Cabinet Office disclosed a table containing settlement figures and case counts for 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021, noting that the data covers only departments serviced by the Office of Human Resources. | ||
| 2021-09-29 | Election | Information not held |
| The requester asked for age demographic breakdowns and polling station turnout data for the 2021 Isle of Man election, but the Cabinet Office stated it did not hold this information at the time of the request. | ||
| 2021-09-28 | Cost of rent at Hamilton House | Information not held |
| A request was made for the total rent spent by the Isle of Man Government on Hamilton House, broken down by year, following the Department of Education's announcement to vacate. The Cabinet Office responded that they do not hold this information and suggested contacting the Department of Infrastructure instead. | ||
| 2021-09-21 | UN COP26 invitations | Information not held |
| The request sought details on Isle of Man Government invitations and attendance plans for UN COP26 events in Milan and Glasgow. The Cabinet Office responded that no official invitations had been received by any department and that personal attendance is not monitored. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-09-17 | Detailed Ballot information | Information not held |
| The requester asked for a detailed breakdown of 2016 House of Keys election results showing ballots cast for each distinct combination of candidates. The Cabinet Office responded that this specific information is not held, though they suggested it could be considered in future post-election reviews. | ||
| 2021-09-13 | data protection fines | Information not held |
| The requester asked the Isle of Man Cabinet Office for data on data protection breaches, fines, and related accounting strategies. The authority responded that it does not hold the requested information on fines and budgets, and that providing breach statistics would require creating new information, which is not required under the Freedom of Information Act. | ||
| 2021-09-13 | categorisation of freedom of information requests | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the rationale behind FOI request categories and statistics on requests received from each category over the last 36 months. The Cabinet Office disclosed a table containing the total number of requests received from each category between August 2018 and August 2021. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2021-09-08 | Heritage Trail Bridges | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought Council of Ministers decisions and minutes regarding planning applications for new bridges on the St John's to Kirk Michael heritage trail. The authority provided a link to the public planning decision and released partial minutes, but withheld specific personal data under an absolute exemption. | ||
| 2021-09-03 | MHK's Business/share Interests | Information not held |
| The requester asked for a list of share and business interests held by Members of the House of Keys and civil servants, including purchase dates. The Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold this information, noting that the House of Keys is currently dissolved and that civil servant interests are governed by publicly available codes rather than a central register. | ||
| 2021-08-26 | Planning at Sandygate House | Information not held |
| 2021-08-26 | Legality of vaccine administration | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester questioned the legality of COVID-19 vaccine administration in the Isle of Man after the State of Emergency ended in June 2020. The Cabinet Office clarified that vaccine authorizations are managed by the UK's MHRA and are independent of the local state of emergency, confirming the vaccines are legal. | ||
| 2021-08-25 | Number of Government workers vaccinated | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Isle of Man Cabinet Office for the percentage of government workers vaccinated against Covid-19. The authority responded that it does not hold this information and suggested contacting Manx Care instead. | ||
| 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. | ||
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