Office of the Clerk of Tynwald
75 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 26.7%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald reveal an authority that is highly protective of parliamentary privilege, often using it as an absolute shield against scrutiny of Member conduct, briefings, and internal investigations. Cases such as [2303135], [2324853], and [2598157] demonstrate a consistent refusal to disclose information regarding how Members are briefed or how conflicts of interest are managed, effectively creating a 'black box' around the political decision-making process. While the Clerk's Office is willing to release specific historical financial receipts for travel (e.g., [357251], [867165]), it frequently deflects broader questions about policy, staffing capacity, or legal costs by claiming the information is 'not held' or resides with other departments, highlighting a fragmented approach to government record-keeping.
Key Cases
Case 1620137 — This case resulted in the disclosure of 293 pages of documentation regarding a 2014 internship trial, revealing the detailed internal process of creating a cost-neutral trainee position. It stands out as one of the most voluminous and revealing disclosures regarding internal HR strategy.
Case 2303135 — An 'Upheld - full' decision where the authority refused to disclose briefings to Tynwald members, citing parliamentary privilege. This is a critical case for understanding the limits of FOI in the Isle of Man, as it confirms that the internal advice given to politicians is effectively shielded from public scrutiny.
Case 357251 — The disclosure of the Falkland Islands trip expenses included a correction of a previous transcription error in the total cost. This demonstrates the practical value of FOI in correcting the public record and ensuring financial accuracy for high-profile government travel.
Case 2598157 — This case involved a specific inquiry into whether MHK Andrew Smith declared a conflict of interest regarding a gas price vote. The refusal to disclose any investigation details, citing privilege, highlights the difficulty in holding individual members accountable for potential ethical breaches through the FOI route.
Case 4554501 — The request for a list of Freemasons in Tynwald roles resulted in the disclosure of three individuals who declared such interests. It is a notable example of the FOI Act being used to uncover specific, non-financial affiliations of public officials that might otherwise remain obscure.
Related FOI Stories
Parliamentary Privilege and Member Conduct — #525135, #2324853, #2303135, #2386337, #2598157
Government Travel and Expense Transparency — #357235, #357251, #357253, #357255, #867165
Legal Costs and External Services — #1446386, #1815433, #2562465, #4339578
Staffing, Employment, and Internal Governance — #1282345, #1620137, #1821233, #2127151, #4386569
Information Not Held vs. Jurisdictional Boundaries — #357237, #357243, #357245, #475038, #1624497
All (75)
All information sent (20) ·
No information sent - all held but exempt (16) ·
Information not held (13) ·
Some information sent but not all held (10) ·
Not required to fulfill request (7) ·
Some information sent but part exempt (3) ·
Not upheld (3) ·
Upheld - full (1) ·
Request lapsed - requested information not provided (1) ·
Neither confirm or deny information held (1) ·
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-06 | cost to the Isle of man taxpayer of police attendance | Information not held |
| The request sought the total cost of police attendance at a specific unfinished building site over five years, but the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald responded that they do not hold this information as it relates to the finances of the Isle of Man Constabulary. | ||
| 2025-10-28 | Questions by the MHK for Malew and Castletown | Information not held |
| The request sought the person hours and financial costs incurred by government departments to answer questions tabled by the MHK for Malew and Castletown. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald responded that this information is not held because departments do not record or submit such data. | ||
| 2025-08-29 | Mr Scott Wilson | Neither confirm or deny information held |
| 2025-07-01 | MHK and MLC absences 2021 - 2025 | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The request sought a compiled table of authorized and unauthorized absences for MHKs and MLCs from October 2021 to June 2025, including reasons for absence. The authority refused to compile the data, directing the requester to existing public records, and withheld specific reasons for absence citing personal data exemptions. | ||
| 2025-06-11 | FOI Request - Usher Contracts for Tynwald and Garden Party 2025 | All information sent |
| The requester sought standard contracts and terms for ushers at Tynwald Day and the 2025 Garden Party to investigate procedural fairness and termination rights. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald disclosed a template written statement of terms and a job description, clarifying that new employment laws effective April 2025 necessitated written contracts for casual workers. | ||
| 2025-05-19 | Tynwald Day Tickets etc | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought detailed ticketing and attendance data for St John's Tynwald Day ceremonies in 2022-2024. The authority disclosed seating capacity, revenue, and complimentary ticket totals, but withheld specific purchase counts, attendance figures, and a detailed breakdown of complimentary allocations due to lack of records and data protection exemptions. | ||
| 2025-04-09 | Incumbent Speaker's portrait - alterations | All information sent |
| The requester asked for a recent photograph of Speaker Juan Watterson's portrait and details regarding any alterations made since its unveiling. The authority provided the photograph and confirmed that no alterations have been made to the portrait since it was unveiled. | ||
| 2025-04-08 | People in support/objective of 20mh zones | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for the number and context of emails received by the Department of Infrastructure Minister supporting or objecting to 20mph zones. The authority responded that some information was sent but not all was held, providing correspondence regarding the implementation process and consultation rather than a statistical count of public emails. | ||
| 2025-04-01 | List of Freemasons holding Tynwald roles | All information sent |
| The request sought lists of Chief Ministers, Speakers, Presidents of Tynwald, and Chairmen of the Executive Council who were Freemasons. The authority disclosed three individuals who declared Freemasonry interests since October 2011 but noted that information regarding the Chairman of the Executive Council prior to 2011 is outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act. | ||
| 2025-03-18 | Memo | Not required to fulfill request |
| The requester asked for the upload date of a memo regarding a £20 million supplementary vote for the Department of Health & Social Care. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald refused to disclose the date, citing an exemption because the information is held for future publication. | ||
| 2025-01-21 | Numbers of Ushers | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for staffing numbers of ushers for Tynwald Day and Garden Party events in 2024 and 2025, broken down by internal and external personnel. The authority disclosed the finalized 2025 figures but did not provide the 2024 data, noting that 2025 planning was ongoing at the time of the initial request. | ||
| 2025-01-10 | Names of Legislative Council Applicants | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for the names of applicants to join the Isle of Man Legislative Council, but the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald refused to disclose this information citing absolute exemptions for personal data. | ||
| 2024-12-31 | Settlement Agreements | All information sent |
| The requester asked for statistics on settlement agreements issued by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald since September 2021 and a blank template. The authority responded that no such agreements have been issued in that period and they do not hold a blank template. | ||
| 2024-08-05 | Coronavirus Regulations | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for specific dates, definitions, and procedural details regarding the Isle of Man's Coronavirus Regulations was partially refused because the Clerk of Tynwald does not hold the information or it is reasonably accessible elsewhere. The authority cited Section 20 and Section 11 exemptions, directing the requester to external resources like the Independent Covid Review Report and Tynwald's website. | ||
| 2024-07-17 | Friends of Isreal Isle of Man | Not required to fulfill request |
| The requester asked for details on any financial or in-kind connections between Tynwald members and the 'Friends of Israel' group. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald stated it was not required to fulfill the request because the relevant information is already publicly available on the Register of Members' Interests, where no results were found for the specific group. | ||
| 2024-03-06 | Register of Tynwald members' interests | All information sent |
| 2024-02-06 | Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Tynwald Day Flypast | Information not held |
| 2024-01-01 | MARS [Mutually Agreed Resignation Agreement] payments | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-12-26 | Election Donations | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-10-09 | Former members of Tynwald re-employed by Gov | Information not held |
| 2023-09-26 | Funding for Epilepsy and Psychogenic Seizures | Information not held |
| 2023-07-12 | How much does it cost to put together Tynwald day | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-07-10 | Dr Ranson vs DHSC (part one) sent originally as email dated 18th June | Not required to fulfill request |
| 2023-07-10 | Dr Ranson vs DHSC (part two) | Not required to fulfill request |
| 2023-07-10 | Dr Ranson vs DHSC (part three) | Not required to fulfill request |
| 2023-05-03 | Parking Allocations | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-04-27 | Evidence to Tynwald Standards Committee | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester sought evidence submitted by four specific Members of Tynwald to the Standards Committee regarding an investigation announced by Chief Minister Alfred Cannan. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald refused to disclose the information, citing an exemption to protect the privileges of Tynwald, though they listed some related documents available in a public report. | ||
| 2023-04-19 | Cost of website redesign | All information sent |
| 2022-12-23 | Internet cameras | Information not held |
| 2022-12-08 | Off Island business trips | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-10-25 | Speaker portrait | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2022-10-25 | Portrait of Juan Watterson | All information sent |
| 2022-09-09 | Unpublished Responses to FOIA Requests | All information sent |
| The requester asked for copies of unpublished Freedom of Information Act responses from the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald since the Act's introduction. The authority disclosed that only two responses were not published in the log, providing a redacted copy of one and explaining the reasons for the exclusions. | ||
| 2022-08-23 | Declaration of conflict of interest | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request was made to determine if MHK Andrew Smith declared a conflict of interest regarding a 2021 gas price vote and if any investigation occurred into an undeclared conflict. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald withheld all information, citing that voting records are publicly accessible via Hansard and that investigating a member's conduct falls under parliamentary privilege. | ||
| 2022-08-03 | external legal services and costs | All information sent |
| The requester asked for details on external legal service payments made by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald since January 2020. The authority confirmed that no new payments were made between June 2021 and August 2022, and referenced previous requests covering earlier periods which also found no payments. | ||
| 2022-07-07 | Costings of the Tynwald ceremony | Not required to fulfill request |
| The requester asked for fully audited yearly costs of the Tynwald Day Ceremony for the past 10 years, but the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald refused to disclose the information immediately under a qualified exemption, committing instead to publish the data on their website by September 2022. | ||
| 2022-04-12 | Meeting Room Bookings | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought records of meeting room bookings in the Legislative Building between January 14 and January 31, 2022. The authority disclosed a partial list of bookings but exempted information regarding private meetings of Tynwald Members to protect parliamentary privilege. | ||
| 2022-04-06 | Financial information on the CPA | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request was made for a cost breakdown of the CPA British Islands Mediterranean Region Conference held in March 2022, but the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald refused to disclose the information. | ||
| 2022-03-11 | Emoluments MHK's resettlement grant. | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for emails and correspondence regarding the Members' resettlement grant sent to the Cochrane and Emoluments committees. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald refused to disclose any information, citing an absolute exemption to protect the privileges of Tynwald and the privacy of committee correspondence. | ||
| 2022-03-02 | Briefings to Tynwald members | Upheld - full |
| The requester asked for details on briefings held for Tynwald members since September 2021, but the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald refused to disclose any information citing an exemption to protect parliamentary privilege and member confidentiality. | ||
| 2021-12-20 | Changed Answers | All information sent |
| The requester asked for records of all written answers to Tynwald questions that were amended after publication since 2011. The authority disclosed two documents containing a specific instance from October 2014 where a written answer regarding ministerial delegations was corrected to remove a reference to Housing Services. | ||
| 2021-12-06 | professional body costs policy | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on professional body fees paid or reimbursed to employees and the existence of a related policy. The authority disclosed that no policy exists, no reimbursements were made, and listed specific subscriptions paid for officers between April 2018 and the date of response. | ||
| 2021-10-04 | records transfer and certificates of destruction | Not required to fulfill request |
| 2021-06-02 | conflict registers | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on conflict registers, training compliance, and risk management failures at the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald. The authority disclosed the timeline of register implementation and training requirements but could not provide specific pass/fail status for individual managers or confirm the absence of a corporate risk register. | ||
| 2021-05-31 | external legal costs | All information sent |
| The requester asked for an itemised list of external legal costs not included in a previous FOI request, specifically looking for hidden transactions or accruals up to May 2021. The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald responded that no external legal costs were excluded from the previous response and no new costs have been recorded since September 2020. | ||
| 2021-02-22 | DHSC Request Ref:1538749 | Information not held |
| The requester asked the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald to provide a copy of a document allegedly destroyed by a Minister or to investigate its destruction under the FOI Act. The authority responded that the information is not held as the document was received at the Minister's private home and never entered the official office records. | ||
| 2021-01-08 | indemnity insurance | Information not held |
| The requester asked for documentation on internal discussions regarding indemnity insurance, funding strategies, and past claims for the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald. The authority responded that it does not hold the requested information, confirmed there are no funding strategies or past claims, and directed the requester to the Treasury for insurance policy details. | ||
| 2021-01-04 | internships | All information sent |
| The request sought all documentation regarding the development of internship policies and strategies at the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald, specifically focusing on a 2014 trial. The authority responded by disclosing 293 pages across two documents containing emails, meeting minutes, and proposals detailing the creation of a cost-neutral trainee position. | ||
| 2020-12-30 | online services | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on Tynwald building closures during the pandemic, the strategic importance of online services, and 36 months of website statistics for Hansard and legislation. The authority provided monthly website usage data from November 2017 to December 2020 and internal emails regarding missing legislative documents, but did not fully address the qualitative assessment of the digitization effort or specific physical visitor statistics. | ||
| 2020-12-29 | external reviews | Information not held |
| The requester asked for details on external reviews, benchmarking, and future plans for the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald over the last six financial years. The authority responded that no such external reviews were conducted and there are currently no plans for future reviews, resulting in an 'Information not held' outcome. | ||
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