legal aid review response recommendation 26

Summary

The applicant requested documents regarding the Statutory Charge scope review and Legal Aid recommendation 26, including emails and meeting minutes from August 2022. The Treasury responded that the information is not held because work on the review recommendations has not yet commenced.

Key Facts

• The request was received by the Treasury on 16 July 2024.
• The outcome was determined as 'Information not held' on 23 August 2024.
• The refusal is based on the fact that work on Legal Aid review recommendations has not started.
• The Treasury cannot provide advice on when the work is expected to begin.
• The applicant has the right to request an internal review or appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Data Disclosed

• 3977172
• 2024-07-16
• 2024-08-23
• August 2022
• 1 million
• section 11(3)(a)
• Freedom of Information Act 2015

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11(3)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information not held)

Original Request

Please supply information related to the Statutory Charge scope review and wider considerations (if any) such as access to justice and the married protected characteristic to include email threads, filenotes, meeting minutes, reports or similar and to include the reference to a matrimonial home or property value cap options in the over 1 million minutes from August 2022 to date.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information
Seyrsnys Fysseree

The Treasury Government Office,
Douglas Isle of Man, IM1 3PU

Telephone: (01624) 685605 Email: FOI.Treasury@gov.im

Government Website: www.gov.im

Our ref: 3977172 23 August 2024

Dear ###,

We write further to your request received 16 July 2024, in relation to the Legal Aid review recommendation 26, which states:

"Please supply information related to the Statutory Charge scope review and wider considerations (if any) such as access to justice and the married protected characteristic to include email threads, filenotes, meeting minutes, reports or similar and to include the reference to a matrimonial home or property value cap options in the over 1 million minutes from August 2022 to date."

Our response to your request is as follows:

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Treasury does not hold the information you have requested. Therefore, as previously advised, we need to apply a practical refusal reason to your request under section 11(3)(a) of the Act (information not held). The reason for this is because the work has not yet commenced on the Legal Aid review recommendations and we are unable to offer any advice or assistance as to when this work is expected to start.

Please quote the reference number 3977172 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.