Climate Change and Sustainability Island Wide

Summary

A request for detailed budget and spending data on Isle of Man climate change initiatives was partially fulfilled, with a table of 17 specific projects and their financial status provided, while information on future initiatives requiring additional budget was withheld.

Key Facts

• The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) received the request on 2024-06-18 and responded on 2024-07-18.
• A total of 17 climate change and sustainability initiatives were listed with a combined approved budget of £19,191,327.
• Funding sources include the Climate Change Fund, Environmental Protection Fund, and Internal Revenue.
• The Climate Change Team and its budget transferred from the Cabinet Office to DEFA during the 2022-23 financial year.
• Information regarding new initiatives requiring additional budget was exempted from disclosure.

Data Disclosed

• £19,191,327
• £7,200,000
• £8,000,000
• £1,570,114
• £326,259
• 2024-06-18
• 2024-07-18
• 2022-23
• 2023-24
• 2024-25

Exemptions Cited

• Section 20 of the Act (information already reasonably accessible)
• Section 41 of the Act (information held with a view to future publication)

Original Request

I would like extracts of data that can be opened in Excel When was the budget assigned to Climate Change and Sustainability Island Wide and what was the amount? What are the initiatives, what budget has been assigned to these initiatives? i.e. initiative and amount? What initiatives have been started and what is the spend to date (i.e. initiative, amount assigned, current spend, spend left? What are the new initiatives (if any) that require additional budget?

Data Tables (2)

Full Response Text

Appendix One Initiatives

1 Green Living Grant Scheme 2 Blue Carbon Project 1 Blue Carbon Project 2 3 Energy Efficiency Scheme 4 Peatland and Upland Carbon Management 5 Decarbonisation of commercial buildings pathways (non-domestic) 6 Government estate decarbonisation – EO/HEO and software* 7 Recruitment of Climate Change Partners to deliver Climate Change Plan 8 Land Management Plan 9 Farm Carbon Toolkit 10 Independent Climate Change Risk Assessment 11 Biomass Feasibility Study 2 12 Woodland Grant Scheme 13 Biomass Feasibility Studies 14 Planting of a Woodland at King’s Forest 15 Climate Impact Assessments tool 16 Transport Decarbonisation Scenarios 17 Green Financing Project

• DEFA submitted the original fund bid for the Green Living Grant Scheme, however, the funding and running of the scheme was transferred to the Department for Enterprise.

** Joint bid submitted by DEFA and Department of Infrastructure. Funding allocated to Department of Infrastructure.

Initiative Approved Budget/Funding Source (Internal Revenue vs Fund Bid) Status Fund spend to date Internal spend to date 1 £7,200,000

2 £313,877 Climate Change Fund Active £268,478 £31,396.16

£467,550 Climate Change Fund Active £75,586 3 £8,000,000 Climate Change Fund Active £979,644 £117,844.24 4 £475,000 Climate Change Fund Active £57,955 £11,583.31 5 £50,000 Climate Change Fund Active 0 0 6 £299,000 Climate Change Fund DOI
0 0 7 £140,000 Climate Change Fund Pending 0 0 8 £500,000 Climate Change Fund Active 0 0 9 £148,400 Climate Change Fund Active 0 0 10 £100,000 Climate Change Fund Active 0 £19,935 11 £100,000 Climate Change Fund Pending 0 0 12 £995,000 Environmental Protection Fund Completed £118,837 0 13 £62,000*** Environmental Protection Fund Completed £38,904 £0 14 £33,000 Environmental Protection Fund Completed £30,710 £0 15 £42,500 Revenue Completed £0 £42,500 16 £200,000 Revenue Completed £0 £38,000 17 £65,000 Revenue Completed £0 £65,000 TOTAL £19,191,327

£1,570,114 £326,259 *** Fund bid made whilst the Climate Change team were based within Cabinet Office. Initiative completed following move to DEFA.

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: 3919351 18 July 2024

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 18 June 2024, and clarified on 24 June, which states:

I would like extracts of data that can be opened in Excel:

1. When was the budget assigned to Climate Change and Sustainability Island Wide and what was the amount?

2. What are the initiatives, what budget has been assigned to these initiatives? i.e. initiative and amount?

3. What initiatives have been started and what is the spend to date (i.e. initiative, amount assigned, current spend, spend left?

4. What are the new initiatives (if any) that require additional budget?"

Our response to your request is as follows: please see the information below.

1. When was the budget assigned to Climate Change and Sustainability Island Wide and what was the amount?

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, under section 20 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you, whether free of charge or on payment of a fee.

The information that you have requested is available

• The Isle of Man Budget 2022-2023, page 96, here: https://www.gov.im/media/1375698/pink-book-2022.pdf • The Isle of Man Budget 2023-2024, page 67, here: https://www.gov.im/media/1378953/pink-book-2023-24-v14-for-website.pdf
• The Isle of Man Budget 2024-2025, page 58, here: https://www.gov.im/media/1382351/pink-book-2024-25-final- website_compressed.pdf

To offer advice and assistance, the Climate Change Team and their budget moved from Cabinet Office to DEFA during the 2022-23 financial year. Previous Isle of Man Budgets are available here:
• https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/the-treasury/budget/

1. What are the initiatives, what budget has been assigned to these initiatives? i.e. initiative and amount? and

2. What initiatives have been started and what is the spend to date (i.e. initiative, amount assigned, current spend, spend left?

Please see Appendix One, attached.

1. What are the new initiatives (if any) that require additional budget?"

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the information is exempt from disclosure under section 41 of the Act as it is held with a view to being published at a future date and in all the circumstances it is reasonable that the information be withheld from disclosure until that time.

To offer advice and assistance, the details will be available within the Climate Change Annual Progress Report 2023-2024 on the Net Zero webpage. The webpage is available here https://www.netzero.im/

As section 41 is a qualified exemption, it is subject to a 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 disclosure: • Open and transparent • There is an expectation that the public have the right of access to information held by the Department

Factors in favour of withholding: • The information held by the Department will be published within the Climate Change Progress report on the Net Zero webpage once an initiative bid has been successful • Publishing the internal communications and discussion would defect the object of Leadership review and formal sign off • The discussion and proposed increased costs are held in raw data format and has potential to be amended before publication • The Department would not release the proposed initiatives prior to approval

In taking these factors into account the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture determined that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information.

The Freedom of Information Act provides the right of access to information held by a Public Authority. Our response to your Freedom of Information request has provided you with the information held by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture. Any information held outside of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has not been provided to you.

Please quote the reference number 3919351 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.