Waste of money and resources hassling the guy who lives in the forest

Summary

The requester sought all records regarding a dispute between the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture and a resident of Nut Glen, later narrowing the request to financial records only. The authority disclosed specific costs incurred for a boundary review and expert discussions, totaling £1,560, while withholding other details.

Key Facts

• The request was received on 8 October 2021 and responded to on 26 October 2021.
• The requester narrowed the scope of the request to financial records on 18 October 2021.
• The dispute involves a resident living in the woods at Nut Glen, near Ramsey.
• The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture provided costs for a boundary review and expert discussions.
• The total cost disclosed to the Department up to 8 October 2021 was £1,560.

Data Disclosed

• 2031481
• 2021-10-08
• 2021-10-18
• 2021-10-26
• £1,110.00
• £450.00
• £1,560.00

Original Request

Dear Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, 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. For the purposes of the act, the [REDACTED] is an Isle of Man resident. Please send me: 1) All records relating to the dispute between Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) and XXXXXX. -By "all records" I mean "records" as defined under the Freedom of Information Act. This is likely to include emails, memos, letters, and other documentation. -Please do not forget to include relevant records relating to the cost of this litigation. -By "XXXXXX", I mean the XX living in the woods at Nut Glen, near Ramsey. 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.

Data Tables (1)

Data Tables (reformatted)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator Corporate Services Directorate Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no (01624) 685854 Fax no (01624 685851 Email: defa@gov.im www.gov.im

Our ref: 2031481 26th October 2021

Dear

We write further to your request which was received on 8th October 2021 and which states:

"Dear Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, 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. For the purposes of the act, is an Isle of Man resident. Please send me: 1) All records relating to the dispute between Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) and

-By "all records" I mean "records" as defined under the Freedom of Information Act. This is likely to include emails, memos, letters, and other documentation. -Please do not forget to include relevant records relating to the cost of this litigation. -By , I mean the living in the woods at Nut Glen, near Ramsey. 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. "

Your request was clarified and narrowed down on the 18th of October 2021 to: Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Redacted Reda cted

“I am happy to narrow my request to financial records. Thus, in point #1 to adjust it to: 1) All financial records relating to the dispute between Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) and ” The costs to the Department, up to the 8th October 2021 are as follows: £1,110.00 for a boundary review. £450.00 for discussions with expert. Total cost £1,560.00. Please quote the reference number 2031481 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.

Redacted Redacted

Yours sincerely

Redacted