Cases of People Trafficking and Immigration Fraud

Summary

A request was made to the Department of Home Affairs for statistics on suspected immigration fraud and people trafficking incidents on the Isle of Man over the last two years. The authority responded that it does not hold this specific information and advised the requester to contact the Isle of Man Constabulary instead.

Key Facts

• The Department of Home Affairs does not hold incident rates for suspected immigration fraud or people trafficking for the requested two-year period.
• The request was prompted by a statement from Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson regarding evidence of these crimes.
• The authority advised redirecting the request to the Isle of Man Constabulary.
• The request was received on 2024-09-25 and closed on 2024-10-07.
• The response cites Section 15 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 regarding the duty to provide advice and assistance.

Data Disclosed

• 2024-09-25
• 2024-10-07
• 4152493
• last two years
• Section 15

Original Request

How many incidences of suspected immigration fraud have there been on the Isle of Man in the last two years? How many incidences of suspected people trafficking have there been on the Isle of Man in the last two years? These two questions are with regard to a statement made by Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson who said there was "also evidence of people trafficking and immigration fraud" and ask for a clarification of extent.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Coordinator DHA Headquarters Tromode Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM2 5AP

Telephone: (01624) 687017 Web address: www.gov.im/dha
Email: DPO-DHA@dha.gov.im

Our ref: 4152493 7 October 2024

Dear ###

We write further to your request received 25 September 2024, which states:

"How many incidences of suspected immigration fraud have there been on the Isle of Man in the last two years?

How many incidences of suspected people trafficking have there been on the Isle of Man in the last two years?

These two questions are with regard to a statement made by Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson who said there was "also evidence of people trafficking and immigration fraud" and ask for a clarification of extent."

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the information that you have requested. This is because the Department of Home Affairs (the Department) does not hold the requested incident rates for the requested time periods.

In line with the Department’s duty to provide advice and assistance with your request under Section 15 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (the Act), we advise that you may wish to redirect your request to the Isle of Man Constabulary who may be able to assist with your request, subject to certain exemptions under the Act.

Please quote the reference number 4152493 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.