Estates Section - Training and salary costs

Summary

The request sought training costs, meeting frequencies, and management salary details for the Estates Section over three years. The Department of Infrastructure disclosed training figures for 2016 and 2017 and salary bands, but withheld earlier training data and specific individual salaries due to lack of records and data protection concerns.

Key Facts

• Training costs were £3,715 in 2016 and £1,350 in 2017.
• Training data for years prior to 2016 was not collated and therefore not held.
• Managerial staff are split between Civil Service Grades and Manual Worker Grades.
• Specific salary details were withheld to prevent the identification of individuals.
• Appendices provided lists of training courses and attendance numbers for 2016 and 2017.

Data Disclosed

• £3715.00
• £1,350.00
• 2016
• 2017
• £31640
• £58894
• 3 employees
• £404.78
• £418.85
• 13 employees
• 8 attendees
• 18 attendees
• 37 attendees
• 16 attendees
• 50 attendees

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11(3) practical refusal reason (a) - Information not held
• Section 25(b)(i) - Data protection principles (prevention of individual identification)

Original Request

Can you please provide the cost of all meeting and courses over the passed three years, also the cost of all management salaries over the passed three years.

Data Tables (5)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

FOI Reference No: IM117109 Request Under The Freedom Of Information Act 2015 (“The Act”)

Thank you for your request dated 18th January 2018

Your request (sic) - with clarification in blue italics

Can you please provide the cost of all meeting and courses over the passed three years, also the cost of all management salaries over the passed three years.

You would like this request to go to Public Estates and Housing – specifically the Estates Section (Caretaking & Cleaning). 1. You would be happy with the total figure spent on training for the last 3 financial years. 2. You would be happy with a calendar if available to show what training has been undertaken for the last 3 financial years. 3. With regards to the meetings, as there is likely to be so many, you would be happy with a breakdown of the frequency of meetings, for example (& not limited to) weekly managers meetings, monthly senior managers meetings etc and the numbers of people attending. 4. With regards to the managers salaries, it would be sufficient to provide a table with the salary bands and the numbers of managers against each band

Response to your request

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested; the reason(s) and statutory exemption sections are shown as part of the corresponding answer(s) below.

1. The total figure spent on training in 2016 was £3715.00 and in 2017 was £1,350.00. We are unable to provide figures for earlier years as this information was not being collated at that time.

Under sections 11(3) practical refusal reason (a) of the Act, in this instance the Department does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find all of the information to answer your question.

1. Please see Appendix 1

2. Please see Appendix 2. Other ad hoc meetings such as contractors, health and safety etc take place as required.

3. Our Managerial staff are split between Grade 6 and Grade 7 (Manual Worker Grades), and Civil Service Grades. The salary bands are summarised below - we are unable to give greater detail because, as the number of staff is relatively low, releasing the salaries they receive might enable identification of individuals, therefore in line with section 25(b)(i), the Department is satisfied that disclosure of the information would contravene one of the data protection principles, namely that the Department can only disclose the information where it would be fair, lawful and meet one of the conditions in schedule 2, and in this case, the conditions have not been met.

Civil Service Grades (annual salary) From To Number of employees £31640 £58894 3

Manual Workers Grades (weekly pay) From To Number of employees £404.78 £418.85 13

Section 25(2)(b)(i) Information is also absolutely exempt information if the information falls within any of paragraphs (a) to (d) of the definition of “data” in section 1(1) of the Data Protection Act 2002, the disclosure of the information to a member of the public (otherwise than under this Act) would contravene any of the data protection principles;

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 to foi.doi@gov.im or by delivery/post to The FOI Co-ordinator, Department of Infrastructure, Sea Terminal Buildings, Douglas, IM1 2RF. An electronic version and paper version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at www.gov.im/foireview

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; 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 rights to review is 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 https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/freedom-of-information/

Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information Response Team

APPENDIX 1

Training

2017 Course Title Number of attendees Pool Plant Operators 8 Safe Working at Heights 18 Moving & Handling 37

2016 Course Title Number of attendees Pool Plant Operators 8 Safe Working at Heights 16 Moving & Handling 50

APPENDIX 2

Meetings

Frequency Level if known No. of participants Monthly:

Estates Monthly Meeting Middle Management 10 Head of Estates Management Senior Management 2 Public Estates & Housing Divisional Meeting Senior Management 8 Monthly Leadership Meeting - Department of Infrastructure Senior Management 2 Heads of Divisions - Department of Infrastructure Senior Management 2 Public Estates & Housing HR Divisional Meetings Senior Management 2 Caretaker & Cleaning HR meetings Middle Management 1 Caretaker & Cleaning HR meetings Senior Management 1 Department of Home Affairs and Public Estates & Housing
Senior Management 2 Weekly

Caretaking and Cleaning Team - Sea Terminal Middle Management 4 Caretaking and Cleaning Team - Sea Terminal Senior Management 1 Quarterly

Caretakers Briefings Supervisory level 40 Caretakers Briefings Senior Management Level 5 Region Swimming Pools Senior Management Level 1 1/2 yearly

PDP/PDR (Personal Development Plan/Review) Middle Management 4 PDP/PDR Senior Management 2