Richmond Hill CC minutes etc

Summary

The request sought minutes and agreements regarding the Richmond Hill Consultative Committee, but the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture stated it did not hold the specific 2016 meeting minutes or the signed 2012 agreement, while refusing to re-supply previously provided briefing notes and minutes under a practical refusal reason.

Key Facts

• Minister Boot did not quote from minutes at the June 2017 meeting but referred to a briefing note.
• The requested information regarding the June 2017 meeting was previously supplied by the CEO's office on 22 August 2017.
• The Department does not hold minutes of the 2016 meeting between the Municipal Association and Minister Ronan.
• The 2012 Revised Structure of Committee agreement was never signed, so only an unsigned draft was provided.
• The request for previously supplied information was refused under section 11.2(b) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015.

Data Disclosed

• 2017-08-15
• 2017-08-23
• 22nd August 2017
• June 2017
• 2016
• May 2014
• September 2016
• 2012
• IM99161I
• section 11.2(b)
• section 15
• section 14(2)
• 28 days

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11.2(b) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (practical refusal reason: information previously supplied)

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Page 1 of 3

Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture

Rheynn Chymmyltaght, Bee as Eirinys

23rd August 2017

Dear

Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (FoIA) Ref : IM99161I Richmond Hill CC Thank you for your request dated 15th August 2017
You asked:
INFORMATION REQUESTED “Full copy of Minutes of the Richmond Hill Consultative Committee meeting that Minister Boot quoted from at his meeting with IO Municipal Association in June 2017. Copy of minutes of meeting held between representatives of Municipal association/ Minister Ronan in 2016 regarding the Richmond Hill Consultative Committee Copy of Revised Structure of Committee agreement signed by Minister of DEFA 2012”

Response to your request For clarity your request has been answered in three parts as below. 1. Request Full copy of Minutes of the Richmond Hill Consultative Committee meeting that Minister Boot quoted from at his meeting with IO Municipal Association in June 2017. Response Minister Boot did not quote from minutes at the meeting you refer to. As you were informed by the CEO’s office in an email of the 22nd August 2017 the Minister had been provided with a briefing note by the Director of Environment, Safety & Health and it was this to which he referred. This was supplied to you in the email mentioned above along with minutes from meetings held in May 2014 and September 2016. 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 Quoting Ref: IM99161I Your Ref:

Page 2 of 3

As the information you request has been supplied to you from the CEO’s office very recently, under section 11.2(b) of the FoIA the Department is not obliged to supply it again in response to a FoIA request. 11 Grant of requests for information
(1) A public authority must give the applicant the information requested in the applicant’s request for information and must do so in accordance with this Act.
(2) However, a public authority may refuse to give the applicant the information requested if —

(a) the information is absolutely exempt information or qualified
exempt information;
(b) a practical refusal reason applies and cannot be removed, despite the public authority complying with the duty in section 15 (advice and assistance); or (c) the applicant has not complied with section 14(2) (applicant must give additional information or pay additional fees requested within 28 days).

The specific “practical refusal reason” is that:

“the request for information relates to information that is identical, or substantially similar, to information previously requested by, and supplied to, the applicant; and
a reasonable period of time has not passed between compliance with the previous request and the making of the current request.”

1. Request Copy of minutes of meeting held between representatives of Municipal association/ Minister Ronan in 2016 regarding the Richmond Hill Consultative Committee

Response While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Department does not hold this information and cannot, therefore, supply it.

1. Request Copy of Revised Structure of Committee agreement signed by Minister of DEFA 2012

Response Please see Appendix 1. Although this is not the signed agreement as you requested, we believe it was never signed and is therefore not held. This unsigned agreement is however, the most recent draft of the agreement and is included here in order to supply as much information as possible. 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