Request for information on payments made to non-governmental members

Summary

The requester sought details on payments and benefits for non-governmental members of Department for Enterprise agencies over the last three years. The authority disclosed that most board members are voluntary and unpaid, while clarifying that ConstructionIoM and HospitalityIoM are industry bodies not receiving direct government salaries or expenses.

Key Facts

• The Department's four Executive Agencies have around 40 voluntary non-executive board members at any one time.
• Construction Isle of Man is an industry body, not a Department agency, and receives no direct government payments for salaries or expenses.
• Hospitality Isle of Man is an industry body comprised of volunteers who receive no government salaries, expenses, or benefits in kind.
• The Destination First Board was established in November 2024 and its non-government members are not paid.
• The data provided covers the three complete financial years from April 2022 to March 2025.

Data Disclosed

• 40 voluntary non-executive board members
• April 2022 – March 2023
• April 2023 – March 2024
• April 2024 – March 2025
• November 2024
• 4 Executive Agencies

Original Request

I am writing to formally request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding payments and benefits provided to members of all boards and agencies under the Department of Enterprise.Specifically, I would like to obtain the following information: Board Membership Payments and Benefits: Please provide the number of members from the following agencies who receive any form of payment or benefit from the public purse: BusinessIoM, VisitIoM, DigitalIoM, FinanceIoM, ConstructionIoM, HospitalityIoM, and any other similar agencies. This should include details on: Government salaries Expense accounts Government-issued credit cards Any other benefits in kind or cash payments. Cost Breakdown: A detailed breakdown of the total costs associated with these payments for each board, specifying the amount spent by the Department of Enterprise. Non-Executive Benefits: Clarification on whether any non-executive members of these boards receive any form of benefit from the public purse. Expense Records: The total expense costs incurred by each of the boards over the last three years, ideally broken down by year and by individual board. Public Records: Information on what records exist in the public domain regarding these payments and benefits. Please ensure that this information is provided in a clear and accessible format, and that any data shared complies with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator 1st Floor, St Georges Court Upper Church Street, Douglas Isle of Man IM1 1EX

Telephone: (01624 686400) Website: https://www.iomdfenterprise.im/

Our ref: 5057181 3 December 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 4 November 2025, which states:

"Request for information on payments made to non-governmental members

I am writing to formally request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding payments and benefits provided to members of all boards and agencies under the Department of Enterprise.Specifically, I would like to obtain the following information:

Board Membership Payments and Benefits:

Please provide the number of members from the following agencies who receive any form of payment or benefit from the public purse: BusinessIoM, VisitIoM, DigitalIoM, FinanceIoM, ConstructionIoM, HospitalityIoM, and any other similar agencies.

This should include details on:
Government salaries
Expense accounts
Government-issued credit cards
Any other benefits in kind or cash payments.

Cost Breakdown:
A detailed breakdown of the total costs associated with these payments for each board, specifying the amount spent by the Department of Enterprise.

Non-Executive Benefits:
Clarification on whether any non-executive members of these boards receive any form of benefit from the public purse.

Expense Records:
The total expense costs incurred by each of the boards over the last three years, ideally broken down by year and by individual board.

Public Records:
Information on what records exist in the public domain regarding these payments and 2 | P a g e
benefits.

Please ensure that this information is provided in a clear and accessible format, and that any data shared complies with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response."

Our response to your request is as follows:

Following clarification of the request, you confirmed that the request related to payments and other benefits for the previous three years. As such, the information and data provided covers records held pertaining to non-governmental appointments for the last three complete financial years (April 2022 – March 2023, April 2023 – March 2024 and April 2024 – March 2025).

At any one time, the Department’s four Executive Agencies have around 40 voluntary non-executive board members from a variety of sectors and organisations.

For clarity, Construction Isle of Man is an industry body and not an Agency of the Department. Whilst support has been provided to aid its establishment, together with contributions from industry through membership fees, the Department does not hold information relevant to the request. However, it can be confirmed that there are no payments made directly in respect of Government salaries, expenses or other forms of benefit in kind directly from the Department.

Likewise, Hospitality Isle of Man is an industry body and not an Agency of the Department, although assistance was provided to establish the Board and to provide ongoing logistical support in terms of organising / hosting meetings. The Board is comprised of volunteers from industry, therefore, again there are no payments in respect of Government salaries, expenses or other forms of benefit in kind directly from the Department.

In addition to the agencies and industry bodies listed in the request, the Destination First Board was also established following a Tynwald debate in November 2024. The Board comprises representatives from government, politicians, commissioners and private sector individuals with a likeminded view to stewardship of the Island. As with above, non-government members of the Board are not paid, nor do they receive expenses or any form of benefit in kind or payment.

The detailed response to your request in respect of the four Executive Agencies is set out below:

Government Salaries

The non-governmental members of the Executive Agencies are volunteers, serving on the Agency Boards in a non-executive capacity. As such, they do not receive a Government salary or any direct payment for their time and contribution to the work of the Agency. Expense Accounts

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The non-governmental members of the Executive Agencies do not have an expense account, nor do they routinely claim expenses for their participation in Board activities.

However, over the last three financial years certain costs relating to travel,
accommodation, subsistence and event costs have either been met or reimbursed for a number of non-governmental Board members who either live off-Island, for travel to Board meetings or other Agency activities on-Island, or for certain Isle of Man based non-governmental Board members who have attended off-Island events to promote the sector(s) within the Agency’s remit.

The table below sets out the number of non-governmental Board members and details of such costs:

2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025 Visit Isle of Man 7 Board Members 7 Board Members 7 Board Members Travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence and tickets for events: £3,588.75 Travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence and tickets for events: £5,023.70 Travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence and tickets for events: £4,369.46 Business Isle of Man 1 Board Member 2 Board Members 3 Board Members Travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence and tickets for events: £507.62 Travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence and tickets for events: £1,392.64 Travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence and tickets for events: £1,074.59 Digital Isle of Man Nil 1 Board member Nil

Travel expenses/accommodation for events: £493.51

Finance Isle of Man Nil Nil Nil

Government issued credit cards

The non-governmental members of the Executive Agencies do not have delegated authority to commit to any form of Government expenditure and, as such, are not issued with a purchase / credit card.

Any other benefit in kind or cash payments

The non-governmental members of the Executive Agencies do not routinely receive any other form of benefit in kind or cash payments for undertaking their duties as non- executive Board Members.

Public Records

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As set out above, for the majority of areas covered in your request there are no records, either public or otherwise, as there are no payments made relating to non- governmental board members. The limited expenses set out above have been extracted from the Department’s finance system and as such are not ordinarily publicly accessible

Please quote the reference number 5057181 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.