Translation costs to the tax payer

Summary

The requester asked for the cost of EU translators to the Manx taxpayer and whether costs are clawed back from the EU. The Cabinet Office responded that it does not hold the requested information for all government departments and cannot find the specific annual costs for its own department from 2011.

Key Facts

• The Cabinet Office does not hold information regarding translation costs for all government departments.
• The authority could not find the requested information on Cabinet Office translator costs annually from 2011 after taking reasonable steps.
• The requester was advised to contact other departments for broader government data.
• The request was closed on 13 September 2018.
• The requester was informed of their right to an internal review or appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Data Disclosed

• 2018-08-30
• 2018-09-13
• 2011
• 584734
• 28 August
• 30 August
• 13 September 2018

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held

Original Request

How much is it costing the Manx tax payer to pay for EU translators across all departments within the Government? As we are not part of the EU do we claw back the cost of translators from The EU ? Do we pay for translators for none EU language speakers ?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Government Office Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3PN Telephone: (+44) 01624 686244 Website: www.gov.im/co

Our ref: 584734 13 September 2018

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 30 August 2018 and which states:

"How much is it costing the Manx tax payer to pay for EU translators across all departments within the Government? As we are not part of the EU do we claw back the cost of translators from The EU ? Do we pay for translators for none EU language speakers ?"

We sought further clarification from you on 28 August and subsequently spoke on the telephone on 30 August. You were advised that the Cabinet Office does not hold information for all of Government and that you should consider contacting other Departments. You advised that you required information about the costs of translators of the Cabinet Office annually from 2011.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Cabinet Office does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the information that you have requested.

As discussed, you may wish to visit the following link: https://www.gov.im/about-the- government/departments/. This provides links to each of the eight Departments which will provide you with more information about what each does.

Please quote the reference number 584734 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

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator