Department of Infrastructure
5 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 9020.0%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure reveal an authority that is selectively transparent, often prioritizing commercial confidentiality and administrative convenience over public scrutiny. A recurring theme is the 'black box' nature of major transport procurement; while the Department readily discloses the existence of projects like the Douglas Promenade or the purchase of Mercedes buses, it consistently withholds specific financial figures, citing commercial sensitivity (Cases 355921, 361167). Furthermore, the Department frequently relies on the 'information not held' exemption to avoid answering questions about specific costs for major events like the TT (Case 355883) or historical road adoptions (Case 355761), suggesting significant gaps in data retention and financial granularity.
Key Cases
Case 355857 — This case marks a critical turning point where the Department invoked the 'vexatious' exemption to block a series of requests regarding the Douglas Promenade and steam locomotives. It highlights the tension between persistent public scrutiny and the administrative burden, effectively shutting down a line of inquiry that had previously yielded partial results.
Case 355921 — A significant disclosure regarding the procurement of Mercedes buses, where the Department explicitly cited commercial sensitivity to withhold pricing and contract details. This case exemplifies the 'black box' nature of major transport spending, where the public knows buses were bought but not the specific financial terms.
Case 449033 — This case is notable for being 'Upheld - partial' following an internal review. The Information Commissioner found the Department had incorrectly applied a 'not held' exemption to the ZipTrip app costs, forcing a re-processing. It serves as a rare instance of the Department's initial refusal being challenged and corrected, revealing hidden financial data.
Case 355883 — The refusal to provide specific costs for TT (Tourist Trophy) road repairs, claiming they are not recorded separately from normal activities. Given the TT is the island's most significant economic event, the inability to isolate its infrastructure costs raises questions about financial accountability for major events.
Case 358461 — The complete withholding of information regarding a 2013 electric shock incident on the Manx Electric Railway due to 'ongoing legal proceedings.' This case underscores how legal risk is used as a blanket exemption to prevent the public from understanding the safety history of heritage transport.
Related FOI Stories
The Douglas Promenade: From Transparency to Vexatious Refusal — #355795, #355857, #355859, #355861, #355863
Commercial Secrecy in Transport Procurement — #355763, #355921, #361167, #355893, #356129
Data Gaps and 'Not Held' Defenses — #355761, #355773, #355883, #355895, #361191
Safety Incidents and Legal Exemptions — #358443, #358461, #355863, #355921, #548540
Housing and Social Welfare Opacity — #355805, #358449, #358451, #355925, #647165
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-02-19 | Fallen Animals 2017 | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request for detailed 2017 statistics on fallen animals was partially answered with 2017/18 financial year data, while specific details on cause of death, origin, and missing animal estimates were withheld as not collected or outside the department's scope. | ||
| 2019-07-22 | Infrastructure/capital projects and due diligence | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| The requester asked about due diligence procedures for infrastructure subcontractors to ensure they are not under criminal investigation. The Department of Infrastructure responded that it does not conduct due diligence on domestic subcontractors, leaving this responsibility to the main contractor, provided the subcontractors are on the MACCS approved list. | ||
| 2018-12-28 | vehicle count and average speed cables | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| The requester asked for policies, installation dates, locations, and raw anonymous data regarding temporary vehicle count and average speed cables in Douglas and surrounding routes. The Department of Infrastructure refused to provide the raw data or create new compilations, citing practical refusal and exemptions against creating information, though they provided existing documents. | ||
| 2018-07-27 | Energy From Waste Plant Contract | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request was made for the full contract details of the Isle of Man's Energy From Waste Plant, citing a previous Information Commissioner decision on commercial information disclosure. The request lapsed without the information being provided, though the response included a 403-page conformed copy of the Project Agreement dated July 2016. | ||
| 2018-05-30 | TT Signage | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |