Chamber of Commerce Payments

Summary

A requester asked for financial records of payments from the Department for Enterprise to the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce between January 2018 and June 2020. The authority disclosed all requested information, providing copies of records and stating the total amount paid was GBP 129,767.88, including a payment made shortly after the requested period.

Key Facts

• The Department for Enterprise paid a total of GBP 112,267.88 to the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2020.
• An additional payment of GBP 17,500 was made on 22 July 2020 and included in the disclosure due to its proximity to the request end date.
• The total amount disclosed for the period and the additional payment is GBP 129,767.88.
• The request was received on 12 October 2020 and the response was issued on 3 November 2020.
• The Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce is identified by Company registry number 001380C.

Data Disclosed

• GBP 112,267.88
• GBP 17,500
• GBP 129,767.88
• 1 January 2018
• 30 June 2020
• 22 July 2020
• 12 October 2020
• 3 November 2020
• 001380C
• 1511997

Original Request

Dear Department for Enterprise, I am writing to make a freedom of information request for all the information to which I am entitled under the relevant Freedom of Information provisions. I am an Isle of Man resident. Please send me: 1) A copy of all financial records showing payments from the Department for Enterprise to the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2020, inclusive. By "all financial records" I mean all receipts, invoices and purchase orders which would allow a human to calculate the amounts of money transferred, and the purposes for which such transfers were made. By "Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce", I mean the 1931 Act Company registry number 001380C, with the registered office of Eagle Lab, Queen Victoria House, 41-43 Victoria Street, Douglas, IM1 2LF, Isle of Man I believe that this is likely to be included with the Freedom of Information definition of 'all information held by authorities listed in Schedule 1 of the Act and which was created on or after 11 October 2011.' I would like the above information to be provided to me as electronic copies by email to me. If the files are too large to transfer by email, I am happy to attend your offices with a USB stick. If you prefer alternative arrangements, please contact me to discuss. If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that Manx law requires you to advise and assist requesters. If any of this information is already is already publicly available, please advise and assist me to locate the information I am seeking, with page references and URLs if necessary. If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that information should generally not be treated as confidential if such an agreement has not been signed. I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request. I look forward to hearing from you.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator 1st Floor, St Georges Court Upper Church Street, Douglas Isle of Man IM1 1EX

Telephone: (01624 682381) Website: www.gov.im/ded Email: anthony.walker@gov.im

Our ref: 1511997 3 November 2020

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 12 October 2020 and which states:

"Dear Department for Enterprise, I am writing to make a freedom of information request for all the information to which I am entitled under the relevant Freedom of Information provisions. I am an Isle of Man resident. Please send me: 1) A copy of all financial records showing payments from the Department for Enterprise to the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2020, inclusive. By "all financial records" I mean all receipts, invoices and purchase orders which would allow a human to calculate the amounts of money transferred, and the purposes for which such transfers were made. By "Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce", I mean the 1931 Act Company registry number 001380C, with the registered office of Eagle Lab, Queen Victoria House, 41-43 Victoria Street, Douglas, IM1 2LF, Isle of Man I believe that this is likely to be included with the Freedom of Information definition of 'all information held by authorities listed in Schedule 1 of the Act and which was created on or after 11 October 2011.' I would like the above information to be provided to me as electronic copies by email to me. If the files are too large to transfer by email, I am happy to attend your offices with a USB stick. If you prefer alternative arrangements, please contact me to discuss. If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that Manx law requires you to advise and assist requesters.

If any of this information is already is already publicly available, please advise and assist me to locate the information I am seeking, with page references and URLs if necessary. If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that information should generally not be treated as confidential if such an agreement has not been signed. I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, XXXXXXXXXXXX"

Our response to your request is as follows: Since 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2020 a total of GBP 112,267.88 has been paid to the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce by the Department for Enterprise. A further payment of GBP 17,500 was paid on the 22 July 2020 and this figure has been included due to the close proximity of your requested period end date; the total figure paid is therefore GBP 129,767.88. I have enclosed copies of the information that is being released to you.

Please quote the reference number 1511997 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

1. 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