criminal and civil case costs policy and calculations formulas

Summary

The requester asked for policies and calculation formulas regarding criminal and civil case costs, citing specific examples of perceived disparities. The General Registry responded that the information is not held because cost awards are judicial matters and no such policies or formulas exist.

Key Facts

• The General Registry does not hold information on cost policies or calculation formulas.
• The award of costs is determined by the judiciary, not the General Registry.
• The authority confirmed that no 'policy and calculations formulae' exist for these matters.
• The request was received on 2025-05-21 and closed on 2025-06-05.
• The requester cited specific media examples involving costs of £300, £600, and £89,000.

Data Disclosed

• 2025-05-21
• 2025-06-05
• 4678437
• £300
• £600
• £89000
• £0

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held

Original Request

Please supply information to explain the policy and calculations formulas in disproportionate criminal and civil case costs and associated media coverage that amounts to defamation given a higher multiple of costs implies what must be a very very bad person compared to a domestic abuser or a burglar or a rapist and on what basis are costs to date not disclosed to litigants in person in contemporaneous costs management given that a legally unqualified litigant in person is likely to be very stressed by such undisclosed information and failure to operate contemporaneous costs management is an obvious human rights access to justice issue and affront to public conscience. For example: https://www.three.fm/news/isle-of-man-news/man-in-court-over-domestic-abuse/ a criminal domestic abuse case with a bad person ordered to pay £300 costs https://www.facebook.com/share/16RmJdub9x/ a criminal drugs case with a bad person ordered to pay £600 costs https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-35232549 a civil costs order against the former AG to pay potentially unfairly padded £89000 costs with £0 to the court except initial court fees and therefore solely to the present AG on behalf of a third party funder with excessive inequitable control over the litigation process [Treasury]

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

General Registry Oik- Recortyssee Chief Registrar
Stuart Quayle

Isle of Man Courts of Justice Deemsters Walk, Bucks Road Douglas, Isle of Man IM1 3AR

Telephone:
(01624) 685979 Email: DPO- GenReg@gov.im

Our ref: 4678437 5 June 2025

Dear ####

We write further to your request received 21 May 2025, which states:

"Please supply information to explain the policy and calculations formulas in disproportionate criminal and civil case costs and associated media coverage that amounts to defamation given a higher multiple of costs implies what must be a very very bad person compared to a domestic abuser or a burglar or a rapist and on what basis are costs to date not disclosed to litigants in person in contemporaneous costs management given that a legally unqualified litigant in person is likely to be very stressed by such undisclosed information and failure to operate contemporaneous costs management is an obvious human rights access to justice issue and affront to public conscience.

For example:
https://www.three.fm/news/isle-of-man-news/man-in-court-over-domestic-abuse/
a criminal domestic abuse case with a bad person ordered to pay £300 costs

https://www.facebook.com/share/16RmJdub9x/
a criminal drugs case with a bad person ordered to pay £600 costs

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-35232549
a civil costs order against the former AG to pay potentially unfairly padded £89000 costs with £0 to the court except initial court fees and therefore solely to the present AG on behalf of a third party funder with excessive inequitable control over the litigation process [Treasury]"

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.

The award of costs is a judicial matter, not something that the General Registry has any involvement in. Further, no 'policy and calculations formulae" exist.

Please quote the reference number 4678437 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.

Yours sincerely

FOI Co-ordinator