General Registry
17 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 76.5%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Isle of Man General Registry reveal an authority in a state of transition, balancing modernization efforts with a notable absence of formal administrative policies. A recurring theme across cases 3844441, 3852710, and 4678437 is the lack of written strategies for critical judicial functions, including judgment publication, cost calculations, and fee refunds. The Registry consistently defers to 'Manx Law' or judicial discretion rather than providing documented guidelines, creating a transparency gap where the public cannot easily verify how decisions are standardized. This opacity is contrasted by significant disclosures regarding financial liabilities, such as the £7.1 million in outstanding fines (3751985) and the confirmed expenditure on the new Court Case Management System (5109889), which signals a push toward digital efficiency despite the lack of policy documentation.
Key Cases
Case 3751985 — Disclosed a staggering figure of £7,118,363.44 in outstanding criminal court fines, providing a critical metric for the financial health and enforcement efficacy of the Manx justice system.
Case 3852710 — Revealed that no formal written policy exists for the redaction and publication of judgments, confirming that 'open justice' is applied ad-hoc based on legal interpretation rather than transparent administrative strategy.
Case 5109889 — Confirmed the successful deployment of the new Court Case Management System (CCMS) in August 2025 and disclosed specific expenditure, marking a major milestone in the digital transformation of the courts.
Case 3994533 — Highlighted systemic data limitations; while some COVID sentencing data was provided, the Registry could not supply figures for the full period due to technical constraints, raising questions about the robustness of their record-keeping during the pandemic.
Case 4678669 — Clarified the legal basis for the 'no refund' policy on court fees, citing the 2025 Miscellaneous Fees Order, which directly addresses public concerns regarding the fairness of judicial financial procedures.
Related FOI Stories
Judicial Transparency and Policy Gaps — #3844441, #3817669, #3852710, #4678437, #4678669
Employment Tribunal Costs and Operations — #2486358, #3852709, #4384877, #4947866
Digital Modernization and IT Procurement — #5109889, #5190217, #3787922
Criminal Justice Statistics and Enforcement — #3751985, #3994533, #4787753, #5355885
Information Not Held vs. Exemptions — #544737, #4339573, #4764813, #4925821, #5235625
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-20 | Courts of Justice Floorplan | Information not held |
| A request was made for a floorplan of the Isle of Man Courts of Justice building, but the General Registry refused to disclose it citing security and health exemptions under Section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015. | ||
| 2025-09-10 | Amount of Manx land First Registered at Land Registry? | Information not held |
| A request was made to the General Registry for the percentage and hectare area of Isle of Man land that has been First Registered. The authority responded that the information is not held by them and directed the requester to the Land Registry. | ||
| 2025-06-30 | Powers of Court Small Claims Clerks | Information not held |
| The requester asked if Small Claims Clerks can issue High Court directions without a prior Court Order and requested statistics on how often this occurred in 2025. The General Registry clarified that clerks act under judicial instruction but stated they do not record the number of such emails sent. | ||
| 2025-06-30 | Temporary Advocate Licences | Information not held |
| A request was made for data on litigants in person successfully using foreign legal support without an Isle of Man advocate between 2016 and 2025. The General Registry responded that the information is not held and no further breakdown is available beyond the Annual Report. | ||
| 2025-05-27 | When and how did Midland Bank plc change its name to HSBC Bank plc | Information not held |
| 2025-05-21 | criminal and civil case costs policy and calculations formulas | Information not held |
| The requester asked for policies and calculation formulas regarding criminal and civil case costs, citing specific examples of perceived disparities. The General Registry responded that the information is not held because cost awards are judicial matters and no such policies or formulas exist. | ||
| 2024-12-31 | Settlement Agreements | Information not held |
| The requester asked for statistics and a template regarding Settlement Agreements issued by the General Registry since September 2021. The authority responded that no such agreements have been issued and no template is held on file. | ||
| 2024-05-14 | open justice legal principle | Information not held |
| The requester asked for policies governing the redaction and publication of judgments on the Isle of Man courts website. The General Registry responded that no such written policies or strategies exist, as publication decisions are based on the application of Manx Law and specific legislative safeguards rather than a formal document. | ||
| 2024-05-07 | income from printed copies of claims and judgments | Information not held |
| The requester asked for income statistics regarding printed and digital copies of claims and judgments, as well as policies on publishing judgments. The General Registry responded that it does not hold the specific financial data requested and confirmed that no formal policy documents exist regarding the open justice principle or publication percentages. | ||
| 2024-04-23 | iniquitous legal opinions issue | Information not held |
| The requester asked for information regarding tribunal arrangements to review alleged unlawful legal opinions from the Attorney General's Chambers. The General Registry refused the request, stating they do not hold the information and lack access to privileged legal advice. | ||
| 2023-07-19 | Earystane & Scards, Sulby & Druidale | Information not held |
| 2023-06-28 | Appointments Commission correspondence | Information not held |
| 2023-06-06 | Cannabis cases | Information not held |
| 2023-02-24 | Legal Aid (Amendment) Bill 2011 | Information not held |
| 2023-02-03 | mistrials and retrials in employment tribunals | Information not held |
| 2022-10-26 | Amicus Curiae lawyers appointed to cases | Information not held |
| 2018-08-03 | Owner-occupied residential property | Information not held |
| A request was made to determine the current percentage of owner-occupied residential property on the Isle of Man, but the General Registry responded that they do not hold this information. | ||