Abusive communications to MHK's and MLC's reported

Summary

A request was made for statistics on abusive communications reported by MHKs and MLCs and the procedures for handling such reports. The Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold the requested information.

Key Facts

• The request was submitted on 2022-01-05 and responded to on 2022-01-18.
• The authority handling the request was the Cabinet Office.
• The request sought data on abusive emails, SMS texts, and phone calls between January 2021 and the latest available date.
• The Cabinet Office confirmed it does not hold the information requested.
• The requester was informed of their right to an internal review or appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Data Disclosed

• 2022-01-05
• 2022-01-18
• January 2021
• 2172641

Original Request

Dear Sir, Please may I be supplied with the following information as per the Freedom of Information Act 2015. 1. Please may I have the total number of abusive communications reported by MHK's and MLC's between January 2021 and the latest data you have. Please separate these in the form of abusive emails, SMS texts and phone calls and any other means of communication not covered that has also been reported. Please separate MHK's figures and MLC's figures into separate tables. 2. Are elected government officials of Tynwald asked to report any abusive communications they receive and after a report is logged, what is the procedure for rectifying the incident. I would like the information to be supplied electronically. If there is anything you wish to be further clarified, please do contact me so I might refine the request.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Government Office Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3PN Telephone: (+44) 01624 686244 Website: www.gov.im/co

Our ref: 2172641 18 January 2022

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 5 January 2022 and which states:

"Dear Sir, Please may I be supplied with the following information as per the Freedom of Information Act 2015. 1. Please may I have the total number of abusive communications reported by MHK's and MLC's between January 2021 and the latest data you have. Please separate these in the form of abusive emails, SMS texts and phone calls and any other means of communication not covered that has also been reported. Please separate MHK's figures and MLC's figures into separate tables. 2. Are elected government officials of Tynwald asked to report any abusive communications they receive and after a report is logged, what is the procedure for rectifying the incident. I would like the information to be supplied electronically. If there is anything you wish to be further clarified, please do contact me so I might refine the request.”

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Cabinet Office does not hold the information that you have requested.

Please quote the reference number 2172641 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