travel expenses, CPD, airmiles and hotel points policy

Summary

The request sought details on travel expenses, CPD access policies, and airmiles/hotel points declarations for the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald over six financial years. The authority disclosed a partial list of travel expenses by post, destination, and cost but did not hold information regarding specific CPD shortlisting policies or airmiles declaration requirements.

Key Facts

• The response covers travel expenses from the 2014-15 to 2019-20 financial years.
• Information was provided for various posts including HEO, SEO, OS7, JESP14-18, EO, CoT, and Interns.
• The authority stated it does not hold information regarding policies for shortlisting CPD opportunities or declaring airmiles and hotel points.
• Travel destinations included locations such as Dublin, Cardiff, London, Cameroon, Malaysia, and Bangladesh.
• The outcome was classified as 'Some information sent but not all held'.

Data Disclosed

• 2014-15
• 2015-16
• 2016-17
• 2017-18
• 2018-19
• 2019-20
• 218.00
• 377.19
• 570.63
• 2,608.08
• 3298.53
• 1,324.14
• 2,387.42
• 2,307.13
• 1,005.96
• 7 pages
• 3 documents

Original Request

How much and what was the destination and purpose and return on investment of travel expenses of officers by post or grade in the most recent 6 financial years to include any cash equivalent costs such as travel days without any travel expenses; how does the office shortlist, monitor and ensure proportionate, cumulative and equal access to travel related CPD opportunities to all staff (for example not just senior management and interns); is there any policy to require and any travel expenses form section to declare claimed airmiles and hotel points as a result of funded or allowed days supported travel with tracked allocation to any subsequent travel rather than other personal travel?

Data Tables (8)

Full Response Text

Post Destination Reason Total 2014-15 HEO Dublin British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 218.00 JESP14-18 Cardiff Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference 377.19 OS7 Dublin Members Study Visit 570.63 OS7 Guernsey Study visit 581.94 OS7 Cardiff Clerks Conference 533.18 OS7 Jersey Clerks Conference 561.33 SEO Jersey Clerks Conference 579.01 JESP14-18 Cameroon Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference 2,608.08 HEO Belfast British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 133.68 OS7 London Foreign & Commonwealth Office Visit 13.95 2015-16 OS7 London Westminster Clerks Visit 524.15 SEO London Westminster Clerks Visit 519.44 JESP14-18 Cyprus Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference 995.12 EO London British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Conference 613.13 JESP14-18 Jersey Jersey States Visit 277.98 SEO London Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Countries Conference Recce 293.25 HEO London Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Countries Conference Recce 312.25 JESP14-18 Jersey Jersey States Visit 398.70 SEO Cardiff Inter Parliamentary Research and Information Network Conference 302.94 HEO Cardiff Inter Parliamentary Research and Information Network Conference 299.89 OS7 Edinburgh Clerks Conference 505.40 SEO Edinburgh Clerks Conference 557.90 HEO Edinburgh British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 226.06 OS7 London Clerks Meeting 154.89 JESP14-18 Malaysia Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth 3298.53 OS7 London PAC Anguilla Westminster Visit 347.87 2016-17 HEO London British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 121.40 SEO Dublin Clerks Seminar 361.86 SEO Dublin Clerks Seminar 361.86 JESP14-18 Jersey Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference 440.70 JESP14-18 Cardiff Welsh Assembly - Official Opening 539.02 EO Belfast British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Conference 619.10 HEO Edinburgh Inter Parliamentary Research and Information Network Conference 434.71 SEO Edinburgh Inter Parliamentary Research and Information Network Conference 430.16 SEO Jersey Clerks Seminar 420.79 OS7 London Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Visit 7.59 OS7 London Westminster Visit 254.18 HEO Guernsey British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 367.47 JESP14-18 London Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference 334.48 OS7 Oxford Study of Parliament Group 406.92 SEO London Parliamentary Digital Conference 327.43 SEO London Members Study Visit 580.71 2017-18 OS7 Cardiff Committee Secretariat Network Conference 415.32 HEO Cardiff Committee Secretariat Network Conference 418.67 HEO Dublin British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 295.23 SEO Montreal Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Study Visit 58.16 CoT Gibraltar Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference 379.23 EO Jersey British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Conference 382.29 HEO Ottawa Hansard Association Canada Conference 1,324.14 JESP14-18 London Westminster Foundation for Democracy Conference 173.48 SEO Cardiff Public Accounts Committee Network Conference 425.89 HEO London Inter Parliamentary Research and Information Network Conference 299.82 OS7 Dublin Clerks Conference 638.17 EO Dublin Clerks Conference 631.26 OS7 London Members Study Visit 627.47 JESP14-18 Bangladesh Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference 2,387.42 JESP14-18 Seychelles Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth 2,307.13 HEO Cardiff British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 73.98 2018-19 SEO Guernsey Committee Secretariat Network Conference 457.86 Intern Guernsey Committee Secretariat Network Conference 446.55 OS7 London Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference 279.67 HEO London Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association Conference 683.21 OS7 Canada Society of Clerks at the Table Conference 1,005.96 SEO Jersey Inter Parliamentary Research and Information Network Conference 516.61 EO London British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Conference 209.00 HEO Jersey British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Workshop 207.80 HEO Jersey Hansard Visit 421.59 OS7 Cayman Clerk Secondment 594.47 JESP14-18 Jersey States of Jersey Visit 594.33 OS7 Edinburgh Scottish Parliament Visit 529.96 JESP14-18 London Crown Dependencies Clerks Meeting 284.21 2019-20 JESP14-18 Guernsey Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference 358.39 JESP14-18 Uganda Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference 1,873.50 Intern Darwin Intern Exchange 2,912.34 HEO Dublin British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Conference 528.72 EO Dublin British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Conference 483.33 EO Warwickshire British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly Conference 213.26 HEO London British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association Executive Committee Meeting 186.16 Reply excludes visits funded 100% by other bodies.

Freedom of Information Co-Ordinator Office of the Clerk of Tynwald Legislative Buildings Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3PW Telephone: 01624 685500

Our ref: 1444285 18 September 2020

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 25 August 2020 and which states:

"How much and what was the destination and purpose and return on investment of travel expenses of officers by post or grade in the most recent 6 financial years to include any cash equivalent costs such as travel days without any travel expenses; how does the office shortlist, monitor and ensure proportionate, cumulative and equal access to travel related CPD opportunities to all staff (for example not just senior management and interns); is there any policy to require and any travel expenses form section to declare claimed airmiles and hotel points as a result of funded or allowed days supported travel with tracked allocation to any subsequent travel rather than other personal travel?" Our aim is to provide information whenever possible: • I have provided information relating to your request; • I have enclosed copies of the information that is held; and • some of the information you have requested is not held. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold all of the information that you have requested. We are therefore applying section 11(3)(b) of the Act to some parts of your request. Travel expenses of officers

How much and what was the destination and purpose and return on investment of travel expenses of officers by post or grade in the most recent 6 financial years to include any cash equivalent costs such as travel days without any travel expenses; The enclosed document called COT Travel Amounts includes the Grade of the Officer travelling, the destination, the reason for travel and the total cost of travel from April 2014 to March 2020. We do not record the return on investment of travel expenses. We do not record any cash equivalent costs. We are therefore applying section 11(3)(b) of the Act to this part of your request. Approval for Travel how does the office shortlist, monitor and ensure proportionate, cumulative and equal access to travel related CPD opportunities to all staff (for example not just senior management and interns); In most cases, decisions on travel are primarily based on business need. For example, Tynwald Members attending conferences or study visits expect to be accompanied by a Clerk; some off-Island bodies (such as, for example, the CPA HQ Secretariat in London) select individual officers to participate in their events; and conferences on particular topics must be attended by officers with relevant knowledge or experience. Where more than one suitable officer is available for a particular off-Island business commitment, a decision is made by the Clerk of Tynwald after a discussion with senior managers in which the professional development of staff is taken into account. Occasionally, visits take place whose primary purpose is staff development. These can be proposed by any officer’s line manager at any time; a decision is then made by the Clerk of Tynwald after a discussion with senior managers in which the potential business benefit to the Office is also taken into account. Policy is there any policy to require and any travel expenses form section to declare claimed airmiles and hotel points as a result of funded or allowed days supported travel with tracked allocation to any subsequent travel rather than other personal travel? There is no policy in relation to airmiles and hotel points.

Please quote the reference number 1444285 in any future communications. Your right to request a review If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

FOI Co-Ordinator Clerk of Tynwald’s Office

Information request reference 1444285 Internal Review by the Clerk of Tynwald

I have been asked to assess the response to a request for information made under the Freedom of Information Act. The original request was dealt with by Mrs Donnelly as Freedom of Information co-ordinator. Mrs Corkish (JC) wrote the original draft response. That response was examined by Jonathan King (JK), the Deputy Clerk of Tynwald – which is the usual system for preparing responses under the Freedom of Information Act. The response was sent to the requestor, who has now asked for an internal review.
I carried out this review, as is my role under the FoI procedure in the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office, which was to be returned to the requestor by 16th October. I played no part in formulating the original response to the request and had no prior knowledge of it.
My approach to the review was to examine the original request afresh. On Wednesday 23rd September I had a meeting with JC and JK to discuss the response and the reasons behind it. I discussed the terms of the request and how it should be interpreted (its meaning was not immediately clear in places). After discussion, I agreed with JK and JC that their original interpretation was reasonable but that it would be useful to add all the material relating to travel that was 100% funded by outside parties, to the extent that we held it. This is appended. I had no further amendment to make to the response.

ROGER PHILLIPS

29th September 2020

Clerk of Tynwald

Post Destination Reason Total 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 OS7 Sierra Leone WFD Support Visit 2017-18 SEO Montserrat Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Overseas Territories Project 2018-19 2019-20 SEO Montserrat Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Post Election Workshop Page 1 COT Travel Zero Expenditure