Request for the individuals the Chief Minister has had formal meetings with off Island

Summary

The request sought a list of individuals the Chief Minister met with off-Island since October 2016 and future meeting plans. The Cabinet Office provided a partial list of past meetings but withheld 13 names under qualified exemptions and stated no future formal meetings were scheduled at the time.

Key Facts

• The Chief Minister has held formal off-Island meetings with individuals from the UK Government, UK Parliament, and other administrations since October 2016.
• 13 names were withheld from the response due to qualified exemptions under Section 35 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015.
• No formal meetings were scheduled for the Chief Minister between 19 July 2017 and 19 January 2018 at the time of the request.
• The Chief Minister planned to attend the Labour Party Conference in September and the Conservative Party Conference in October 2017.
• The authority determined that disclosing the withheld names would inhibit the free and frank exchange of views necessary for good government.

Data Disclosed

• 18 July 2017
• October 2016
• 11 August 2017
• 13 names
• 19 July 2017
• 19 January 2018
• Section 35
• Section 35(b)(ii)
• Section 35(c)
• 9 pages
• 1 document

Exemptions Cited

• Section 35(b)(ii) - Inhibition of free and frank exchange of views
• Section 35(c) - Prejudice to the effective conduct of public business

Data Tables (5)

Full Response Text

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REFERENCE NUMBER: IM95627I

REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2015 (“the Act”) Thank you for your online application dated 18 July 2017 for the following information (clarification shown in bold): “Which individuals the Chief Minister has had formal meetings with off Island since he was elected, which organisation they represent (if applicable), and who he has plans to meet in the coming six months.”
Response to your request
Please find appended a list of the individuals, and their organisations, with whom the Chief Minister has held at least one formal meeting with since his election in October 2016. The Chief Minister has held a number of formal meetings off-Island since his election in 2016, all of which were with targeted and relevant individuals from a variety of settings, including the UK Government, UK Parliament, other administrations and organisations.
For the purposes of this request, a formal meeting has been interpreted as being a pre-scheduled meeting. The information supplied is taken from recorded information held by the Cabinet Office which was accurate at the time of the Chief Minister’s meetings. Please note that as part of the Chief Minister’s public engagement, many of the names included in this list have already been published on the Isle of Man Government website and in Isle of Man Government news releases. The Chief Minister plans to attend the Labour Party Conference in September, the Conservative Party Conference in October and anticipates attending a British-Irish Council Summit as well as continuing with a targeted engagement programme in Westminster. However, as at the time of the request, no formal meetings had yet been scheduled for the Chief Minister during the period 19 July 2017 to 19 January 2018 and therefore no information is held. All meetings arranged during this time will be part of continued targeted engagement to protect and defend the Island's interests and reputation.
While our aim is to provide the requested information whenever possible, 13 names have not been provided as they are considered to be subject to a qualified exemption in section 35 of the Act and the public interest in disclosing the information is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption. Section 35(b)(ii) states that information is qualified exempt information if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation and section 35(c) states that information is qualified exempt information if

Government Office DOUGLAS Isle of Man IM1 3PN Tel: (+44) 01624 686244 Fax: (+44) 01624 685710 Website www.gov.im/co
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its disclosure would or would be likely otherwise to prejudice the effective conduct of public business.
Assessment of Section 35 (b)(ii) It is vital that the Chief Minister is able to receive and exchange views freely with experts in a variety of fields in respect of international issues which affect the Isle of Man’s international reputation. Such discussions would be prejudiced as a consequence of disclosure because certain individuals would be unlikely to accept an invitation to a meeting with the Isle of Man if their attendance may be disclosed in response to a freedom of information request. In addition, should these individuals agree to attend, the discussions would be prejudiced because those individuals would be unlikely to be open and frank in discussions. As section 35(b)(ii) is a qualified exemption it is subject to the public interest test. The public interest must be something that is of serious concern and benefit to the public at large.
Factors in favour of disclosing the information include:
 Transparency in fully disclosing names of individuals the Chief Minister has met with off- Island.
 Full disclosure may improve public understanding of the extent of the Chief Minister’s off- Island engagement work.
 There is an expectation that high-profile elected politicians such as the Chief Minister should be fully accountable to the public.

Factors in favour of maintaining the exemption include:  Disclosure of those individuals’ names would be likely to inhibit the ability of the Chief Minister to have a free and frank exchange of views with those individuals. Therefore, disclosing such information would be likely to impair the quality of future policy decision making by the public authority.
 Disclosure of those individuals’ names would have an inhibiting effect on the future provision of free and frank advice from those individuals, which would be likely to prejudice good government.  Disclosure of those individuals’ names would mean that those individuals would be unlikely to accept a future invitation to meet with the Chief Minister.  The inhibiting impact of disclosure of those individuals’ names outlined above would be likely to affect areas of policy in relation to the Isle of Man’s international reputation that rely on the ability to seek the independent views and analysis of a wide range of experts.
Disclosing such information would be likely to impair the quality of policy decisions and compromise good government; as a result the Isle of Man’s international reputation would be likely to be negatively affected.
Assessment of Section 35(c) It is vital that the Chief Minister is able to secure meetings with experts in a variety of fields in order to receive and exchange views that directly relate to the Isle of Man’s international reputation. Such future meetings would be prejudiced as a consequence of disclosure because other individuals would be unlikely to accept an invitation to a meeting with the Isle of Man in the future if their attendance may be disclosed in response to a freedom of information request.
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Factors in favour of disclosing the information include:
 Transparency in fully disclosing names of individuals the Chief Minister has met with off- Island.
 Full disclosure may improve public understanding of the Chief Minister’s off-Island engagement work.
 There is an expectation that high-profile elected politicians such as the Chief Minister should be fully accountable to the public.

Factors in favour of maintaining the exemption include:  The prospect of having their names disclosed would be likely to inhibit the ability of the Chief Minister to secure the attendance of individuals at meetings in order to have a free and frank exchange of views.
 Disclosure of all those individuals the Chief Minister meets without due consideration to the circumstances of each individual would be likely to impair the quality of future policy decision making by the public authority.  Disclosure of names without due consideration would have an inhibiting effect on the future provision of independent, impartial advice from individuals which would be likely to prejudice good government.  The inhibiting impact of disclosure of the names of all those individuals the Chief Minister has met with would be likely to affect areas of policy in relation to the Isle of Man’s international reputation that rely on the ability to seek the independent views and analysis of a wide range of experts. Disclosing such information would be likely to impair the quality of policy decisions and compromise good government; as a result the Isle of Man’s international reputation would be likely to be negatively affected.

In assessing the weight to be attributed to each aspect of these arguments the Cabinet Office has considered that the information to which this request relates is still relatively recent, and disclosure would be likely to prejudice good government. Disclosure of the information will not assist public understanding of the matter and there is no similar information already in the public domain. The Cabinet Office concludes that the risk of harm from disclosure outweighs any benefit that could be gained by the general public by the information being disclosed.
In taking these considerations into account the Cabinet Office has determined that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information.
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 to the FOI Co-ordinator, Cabinet Office, Government Office, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3PN. An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website www.gov.im/about-the-government/freedom-of-information/freedom-of-information- review-request/; a paper copy can be requested by contacting the Cabinet Office direct.
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.
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If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to apply for a review of decisions by the Information Commissioner, for a decision on; 1) Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the 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: www.gov.im/foi.

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Appendix – Individuals with whom the Chief Minister has had formal meetings between 4 October 2016 and 18 July 2017

Name Organisation Alberto Costa MP Conservative Member for South Leicestershire Alderman Dr Andrew Charles Parmley The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London Alex Cobham Chief Executive, Tax Justice Network and Visiting Fellow, King’s College London Alun Davies AM Member of Welsh Assembly for Blaenau Gwent, Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language, Welsh Government Andrew Rosindell MP Conservative Member for Romford, Chair of UK-Isle of Man All Party Parliamentary Group (UK-IOM APPG) Angel Gurria Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Angus MacNeil MP Scottish National Party (SNP) Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Vice Chair of UK-IOM APPG Member, Chair of the House of Commons International Trade Committee Baroness Brown Crossbench, House of Lords European Union (EU) Select Committee Baroness Browning Conservative, House of Lords EU Select Committee Baroness Falkner
Liberal Democrat, House of Lords EU Select Committee Baroness Hodgson CBE Conservative, UK-IOM APPG Member Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws Labour, House of Lords EU Select Committee Baroness Nicholson
Conservative, UK-IOM APPG Member Baroness Stern CBE Crossbench Baroness Suttie Liberal Democrat, House of Lords EU Select Committee Baroness Verma Conservative, House of Lords EU Select Committee Baroness Wilcox Conservative, House of Lords EU Select Committee Baroness Williams Conservative, Minister of State for Countering Extremism, UK Home Office Bob Neill MP Conservative Member for Bromley & Chislehurst, UK-IOM APPG Member, Chair of the House of Commons Justice Select Committee 6

Brian Hayes MEP Member of European Parliament for Dublin - Fine Gael Caroline Dinenage MP Conservative Member for Gosport, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Early Years, UK Department for Education, Equality and Human Rights Commission Chris Green MP Conservative Member for Bolton West Christopher Sharrock British Ambassador to the OECD Daniel D'Amato Gibraltar Representative David Morris MP Conservative Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale, Secretary of the UK-IOM APPG Deidre Brock MP SNP Member for Edinburgh North and Leith, UK-IOM APPG Member, SNP Westminster Spokesperson for Devolved Affairs and Northern Ireland Deputy Gavin St Pier Chief Minister, Government of Guernsey Deputy Lyndon Trott Vice President, Policy and Resources Committee , Government of Guernsey Deputy Paul Le Pelley
Minister for Education, Sport & Culture, Government of Guernsey Deputy Rod Bryans Minister for Education, Government of Jersey Dr Katherine Zappone TD
Independent Member for Dublin South-West, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Irish Government Dr Kay Swinburne MEP Conservative Member of European Parliament for Wales Earl of Kinnoull Crossbench, House of Lords EU Select Committee Enda Kenny TD Fine Gael Member for Mayo, An Taoiseach, Irish Government Fiona Hyslop MSP
Member of Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Scottish Government Gavin Robinson MP Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Member for Belfast East, Spokesperson on Justice, Home Affairs and Human Rights
George Fergusson Senior Officer, UK Department for Exiting the European Union Glyn Davies MP Conservative Member for Montgomeryshire Hannah Clarke Philanthropy and Partnerships, Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Heather Wheeler MP Conservative Member for South Derbyshire, UK-IOM APPG Member, Assistant Whip, UK HM Treasury
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Hon Tara Rivers MLA Coalition for Caymans Member for West Bay, Minister for Financial Services, Commerce & Environment, Cayman Islands Government James Winterkorn
Philanthropy and Partnerships Manager, DEC John Woodcock MP Labour Member for Barrow and Furness Kate Sanderson Faroe Islands Representative Lady Harris
Liberal Democrat, UK-IOM APPG Member Lady Sylvia Hermon MP Independent Member for North Down, UK-IOM APPG Member Lord Alton Crossbench, UK-IOM APPG Member Lord Boswell
Non-Affiliated, Chair of the House of Lords EU Select Committee Lord Cormack
Conservative Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint Conservative, House of Lords EU Select Committee
Lord Hodgson Conservative, UK-IOM APPG Member Lord Hoyle Labour Lord Jay
Crossbench, House of Lords EU Select Committee Lord Kennedy
Labour, UK-IOM APPG Member Lord Kilclooney Crossbench, UK-IOM APPG Member Lord Liddle Labour, House of Lords EU Select Committee Lord Lisvane KCB DL Crossbench, UK-IOM APPG Member Lord MacNally Liberal Democrat, UK-IOM APPG Member Lord Marland Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council Lord Porter

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