Calf of Man Bird Observatory reports.

Summary

The requester asked for missing Calf of Man Bird Observatory reports from 1992, 1993, and 2012 onwards to be rectified on the iMuseum website. The authority confirmed reports from 1992-1993 were already searchable, published 2012-2018 reports on a new webpage, but withheld 2019-2024 reports under a qualified exemption for future publication.

Key Facts

• Reports from 1992 and 1993 are available on iMuseum but require specific search terms to locate.
• A live project is underway to finalize reports from 2012 to 2024 for publication.
• Reports for 2012 to 2018 have been published on the Manx National Heritage website.
• Reports for 2019 to 2024 are withheld to ensure proper approval processes and avoid errors.
• The authority cited Section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 as the basis for withholding the remaining reports.

Data Disclosed

• 1992
• 1993
• 2012
• 2018
• 2019
• 2024
• 1968
• 2011
• 2025-10-21
• 2025-11-06
• 5020610
• 3
• 1
• six reports

Exemptions Cited

• FOI Act, section 41 – Information for future publication

Original Request

The Calf of Man Bird Observatory Reports for 1992, 1993 and from 2012 onwards are missing from the iMuseum website. Please rectify these omissions.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Our ref: 5020610 06 November 2025

Dear xxxxx

We write further to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2015, received 21 October 2025, which states:

"The Calf of Man Bird Observatory Reports for 1992, 1993 and from 2012 onwards are missing from the iMuseum website. Please rectify these omissions."

Our response to your request is as follows:

We confirm that all the Calf of Man Bird Observatory Annual Reports from 1968 to 2011 inclusive are already available on the iMuseum website, including those for 1992 and 1993. The way the search facility functions, some of the reports are found by entering full details including the year into the search engine found here: https://imuseum.im/Olive/APA/IsleofMan/#panel=search If you require any assistance in finding these, please contact our Library and Archives service, who will be glad to help.

In relation to the Calf of Man Bird Observatory Annual Reports from 2012 to 2024, we confirm we have a current live project to finalise these reports for publishing.

Unfortunately, due to aging technology we no longer have the facility to add the reports directly to the iMuseum website. However, we are making them available via our Manx National Heritage website on the following page: https://manxnationalheritage.im/our-sites/the-sound-and-calf-of-man/ – click on Essential info and then Calf of Man Reports.

Please note we have now published the Annual Reports for 2012 to 2018 on the above webpage.

The Annual Reports for 2019 to 2024 will be published in due course.

I trust the above information is helpful. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Page 2 of 3 FOI Act, section 41 – Information for future publication While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance some of 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.

As section 41 is a qualified exemption, it is subject to a public interest test. The public interest must be something of serious concern and benefit to the public at large.

Factors in favour of disclosure • This information has been prepared with the intention of publication and should not be withheld from the public longer than necessary.
• Much of this information is already several years old and overdue publication.

Factors in favour of withholding • There is already a project in place this year to finalise and publish the information very soon so there will not be a long wait before it is all released.
• The majority of the requested information has been made available immediately together with this FOI response, but the remaining six reports need to go through the proper processes and approvals prior to publication and it is in the public interest that this is done properly to avoid errors.

In taking these factors into account, Manx National Heritage has determined that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information.

Please quote the reference number 5020610 in any future communications.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

xxxxxx Corporate Services Manager and Data Protection Officer

Page 3 of 3 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.

Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.