Department for Enterprise
43 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 376.7%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Department for Enterprise reveal an authority that is selectively transparent, often disclosing aggregate statistics and operational timelines while rigorously guarding specific financial details and commercial relationships. A dominant theme is the 'commercial interest' exemption, which is repeatedly invoked to withhold data on the Isle of Man TT (357873, 357871) and major business grants (1373637, 522836). While the Department readily provides figures on trademark income (357847) or website development costs (1060362), it consistently refuses to compile or release data on safety expenditures, rescue operations, and the specific financial terms of government support for key industries like Triumph and Eagle Labs. This pattern suggests a strategy of maintaining public confidence in the event's popularity while obscuring the true fiscal risks and subsidies involved.
Key Cases
Case 357873 — This case represents a significant transparency failure regarding public safety. The Department withheld all information on the costs of rescue helicopters, safety equipment, and road barriers for the TT, citing 'commercial interests'. Given the life-or-death nature of these expenditures, the refusal to disclose safety spending is highly contentious.
Case 1060362 — A rare instance of full financial disclosure for a digital project. The Department revealed the exact cost (£137,144.18) of developing and running the 'iomttraces' website and timing system, providing a clear benchmark for the cost of government digital infrastructure that contrasts with the redactions seen in other tech cases.
Case 1373637 — This case highlights the 'economic prejudice' exemption used to shield major corporate relationships. The Department confirmed no grants were given for a new Triumph factory but withheld specific details on grants awarded since 2013, preventing public scrutiny of the financial support given to one of the island's largest employers.
Case 1854325 — A politically sensitive case involving the Chief Minister. The Department withheld details on whether Howard Quayle received public COVID-19 support for his holiday cottages, citing personal data and breach of confidence. This refusal to confirm or deny high-level political financial interests undermines public trust.
Case 357847 — This case provides a crucial baseline for the TT's commercial value. By disclosing the total income generated by licensing the TT trademark from 2012-2016, it reveals the revenue stream that often offsets the massive undisclosed costs seen in other cases, painting a partial picture of the event's financial reality.
Related FOI Stories
The True Cost of the Isle of Man TT — #357847, #357853, #354749, #357861, #357867
Enterprise Development Scheme & Business Support — #357891, #462337, #514142, #522836, #617366
Infrastructure: Broadband, Telecommunications & Digital Strategy — #1206549, #1327609, #1368137, #1470773, #1050263
Land Registry, Housing & Development — #354735, #357743, #357859, #357863, #357885
Immigration, Work Permits & Employment — #357739, #449057, #455234, #498133, #881965
All (43)
All information sent (162) ·
Some information sent but part exempt (59) ·
Information not held (53) ·
Some information sent but not all held (43) ·
No information sent - all held but exempt (18) ·
Not upheld (8) ·
Not required to fulfill request (6) ·
Upheld - partial (3) ·
Upheld - full (2) ·
Request lapsed - requested information not provided (2) ·
Withdrawn (1) ·
Neither confirm or deny information held (1) ·
Information Notice (1) ·
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-27 | Departmental Expansion and Agency Staffing | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought details on the Department for Enterprise's organizational structure, staffing numbers, salary expenditure, and vacancies following the creation of internal agencies. The authority responded with a partial disclosure, providing an organizational overview and a detailed staffing table for specific units, but did not include salary figures or a complete list of all requested agencies. | ||
| 2025-03-06 | 4429413 further query | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought details on job creation figures, relocation numbers, and associated service costs from a previous investment report. The Department for Enterprise disclosed the specific job count and total indirect return but confirmed it does not hold data on relocation costs, family numbers, or long-term pension impacts. | ||
| 2025-02-06 | Cube Partnership/International | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the amount of money recovered from Cube International Limited owed to the Isle of Man government and local businesses. The Department for Enterprise stated it could not provide this information because the liquidation process is still ongoing. | ||
| 2025-02-03 | Green Living Energy | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought detailed statistics on the Green Living Energy grant scheme, including application volumes, offer letters, and payments broken down by month. The Department for Enterprise provided a comprehensive weekly dataset covering applications, approvals, and payments from February 2023 to February 2025, though some specific qualitative questions regarding staff numbers and house inspections were not explicitly answered in the provided text. | ||
| 2024-12-17 | awards for excellence | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on government support for the 'Awards for Excellence' over five years, including funding, sponsorship, and ticket allocations. The Department for Enterprise disclosed specific funding amounts and ticket numbers for most years but stated that venue subsidy details and specific ticket recipient names were not held. | ||
| 2024-11-27 | Visit Isle of Man - Video Campaign | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked if the Monty Halls Visit Isle of Man video campaign went to tender and requested a breakdown of the £15,000 production costs. The authority confirmed a Quick Quote tender process was used but stated they do not hold a specific cost breakdown as the project was invoiced as a fixed fee. | ||
| 2024-10-01 | Grants | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for statistics on employee relocation incentive grants, including amounts spent, number of grants, and retention rates for the last financial year. The Department for Enterprise disclosed that detailed statistics are published annually in the Enterprise Act 2008 Annual Report, but withheld specific 2023/2024 data pending publication and confirmed that retention data is not held. | ||
| 2024-08-08 | AirBnB registrations | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for annual registration statistics for Airbnb properties over the last five years, but the Department for Enterprise disclosed that it does not hold this specific data because it registers all visitor accommodation generically without distinguishing by booking platform. | ||
| 2024-06-28 | South Africa Chamber of Commerce | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought invoices, contracts, photographs, and attendee lists for the Department for Enterprise's sponsorship of the South African Chamber of Commerce Gala Dinners in 2023 and 2024. The Department provided the financial documents but disclosed that no photographs were held and no private attendee list existed as the drinks were open to all event guests. | ||
| 2024-06-26 | Locate Isle of Man Promotional Video | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on the production, costs, and participant payments for a specific Isle of Man promotional video. The Department for Enterprise confirmed the video was externally commissioned, disclosed the full production cost breakdown, and stated that no payments or reimbursements were made to the subjects. | ||
| 2024-04-30 | DFE19022024 | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought the final analysis from a tender comparing high street business costs between the UK and the Isle of Man. The Department for Enterprise disclosed that the work has not been completed because two previous procurement attempts failed to receive suitable submissions. | ||
| 2024-02-06 | Greenhouse gas emissions from the TT Red Arrows | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-12-19 | unlawful employment cases detected internally or reported by 3rd party | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-10-30 | Work Permit Figures Inc Declined | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-10-24 | Work Permit Consultation - List of Responses | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-10-05 | .IM TLD Domain Registry Government Benefit / Revenue | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-07-07 | Request for yellow card data from this department | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-07-05 | Work Permits consultation and consultation responses | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-06-12 | Channing Tatum | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-06-06 | Locate and graduates | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-04-06 | TT Tourism 2023 | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-04-04 | Departmental comments | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-03-20 | TT Insurance costs | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-01-05 | Malta Blockchain Summit | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-12-27 | Internet cameras | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-12-01 | November Steam Railway Data | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-11-21 | Payments made to Shore Media Limited | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-09-02 | Covid Amnesty | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for statistics regarding the number of individuals and businesses who admitted to incorrect claims during the COVID-19 amnesty period, as well as data on returned funds and subsequent investigations. The Department for Enterprise disclosed that no individuals explicitly contacted the government to admit incorrect claims, though 14 requested further information, while noting that the broader review of schemes is ongoing. | ||
| 2022-08-16 | Douglas High Street NCEF's | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for statistics on NCEF forms filed by retailers and businesses struck off the registry in specific Douglas streets over the last 12 months. The authority disclosed that it could not filter NCEF data by 'retailers' due to legal limitations, but provided total counts for NCEF submissions and various business deregistrations meeting the address criteria. | ||
| 2022-07-15 | Non-arrival of scheduled cruise ship visits | Some information sent but not all held |
| The Guild of Manx Registered Tour Guides requested details on why two scheduled cruise ships failed to arrive in July 2022, citing confusion over official statements. The Department for Enterprise disclosed internal emails indicating the cancellations were decisions made by the cruise lines due to new public health testing requirements and logistical challenges, rather than government refusal. | ||
| 2022-07-14 | Land Transactions Fees Paid | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for a list of all land transactions since September 2019 including registry fees, and the Department for Enterprise provided a partial dataset containing deed numbers, addresses, parishes, and fees paid. | ||
| 2022-02-04 | Financial Assistance Support Schemes | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for a list of beneficiaries and payment amounts for the Salary Support Scheme, but the Department for Enterprise stated it does not hold this information as the scheme was administered by the Treasury. | ||
| 2021-12-01 | employment law and interim relief to whistleblowers | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought information regarding the omission of interim relief provisions for whistleblowers in the Isle of Man's Employment Act 2006. The Department for Enterprise disclosed draft notes, correspondence, and emails explaining that the provision was not included because it was not raised as an issue at the time and would require a new bill to add. | ||
| 2020-08-10 | Comis Hotel appointment for repatriation | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on hotels approached for COVID-19 quarantine accommodation and the appointment date of the Comis Hotel. The Department for Enterprise disclosed the list of approached hotels and the date of approach, but noted it did not hold the specific contract appointment date, referring the requester to a previous response from the Department of Infrastructure. | ||
| 2020-03-16 | Work Permitts issued By the Department of Enterprise to Walker Fire Uk | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for details on work permits issued to Walker Fire UK over five years, including checks on local labor availability and advertising. The Department for Enterprise disclosed that 15 applications were received, confirmed statutory considerations are always applied, but stated it does not hold information on other departments' involvement or enforce self-isolation rules. | ||
| 2019-12-10 | Katya Katkova / eastlondonmornings | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought all correspondence and financial documentation between the Department for Enterprise and Katya Katkova regarding the Isle of Man food festival in 2019. The authority disclosed that it held no direct correspondence as the PR agency Lansons managed the relationship, but confirmed a payment of £615.00 was made to the agency for these services. | ||
| 2019-08-06 | Ian Paisley Jnr MP (North Antrim) and the Isle of Man TT | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester sought correspondence, ticket/hospitality records, and meeting details involving Ian Paisley Jnr MP and the Isle of Man Department for Enterprise regarding the TT. The authority disclosed held correspondence, confirmed no tickets or hospitality were provided, and listed a single meeting in Belfast. | ||
| 2019-07-11 | Work Permits - Jacksons Isle of Man | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for work permit statistics and approval grounds for Jacksons Isle of Man, as well as data on non-resident workers without permits. The Department for Enterprise disclosed the total and active number of permits issued but stated it does not hold records of specific approval grounds or the number of workers operating without permits. | ||
| 2018-09-26 | TT 2018 figures | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for detailed figures regarding the 2018 Isle of Man TT was partially fulfilled, with the Department for Enterprise providing survey reports and economic assessments for some questions but confirming they do not hold data on the percentage of visitor income spent off-island. | ||
| 2017-11-09 | Questions re. option granted on DED land | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request was made for details regarding an option granted to EFB (IOM) Ltd to purchase government-owned land at Ballafletcher, Douglas. The Department for Enterprise responded under the Access Code, providing a timeline of the 2010 approval process and financial terms, while noting the option has since expired. | ||
| 2017-07-15 | What costs have been incurred by the Dept as it relates to Vision 9. | Some information sent but not all held |
| The Department for Enterprise responded to a request regarding costs incurred for Vision 9 by disclosing external costs for two procurement exercises but stating it could not separate specific costs for Vision 9 or estimate internal officer time. | ||
| 2017-03-31 | Statistical information on the volume and value of house sales on the Isle of Man over the past 3 - 5 years. | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for statistical data on the volume and value of house sales on the Isle of Man over the past 3-5 years in a specific tabular format. The Department for Enterprise responded that the exact format was not held but provided links to existing public datasets, reports, and the Land Registry where the information could be accessed. | ||
| 2017-02-08 | Policies and procedures relating to Tiers 2 & 5 of the Points Based System. | Some information sent but not all held |
| An advocate's firm requested internal policies and procedures regarding Tier 2 and 5 Points Based System sponsorship applications, but the Department for Enterprise stated it holds no such internal documents beyond those already publicly available. | ||