Party Conferences

Summary

The request sought the taxpayer costs for Isle of Man ministers attending the 2018 Labour and Conservative party conferences, as well as the cost of sponsoring a reception for the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth. The Cabinet Office disclosed full cost breakdowns for travel, accommodation, food, and passes for both conferences, along with the sponsorship fee.

Key Facts

• The total cost for attending the 2018 Labour Party Conference was £2,861.44.
• The total cost for attending the 2018 Conservative Party Conference was £7,645.33.
• The sponsorship cost for the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth reception was £400.
• The Chief Minister and Minister Skelly attended the Labour Conference in Liverpool for one day.
• The Chief Minister, Minister Cannan, and Minister Ashford attended the Conservative Conference for three days.

Data Disclosed

• £350.74
• £476.00
• £34.70
• £2,000.00
• £2,861.44
• £1,397.75
• £2,006.20
• £323.44
• £3,917.94
• £7,645.33
• £400
• 2018-10-05
• 2018-10-25
• 30 October 2018
• 622865

Original Request

What was the cost to the tax payer of the trips undertaken by the Chief Minister and other ministers to the Labour and Conservative party conferences this year? And what was the cost of the island sponsoring a reception for the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth at the Conservative Party conference?

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: 622865 30 October 2018

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 5 October 2018 and which states:

"What was the cost to the tax payer of the trips undertaken by the Chief Minister and other ministers to the Labour and Conservative party conferences this year? And what was the cost of the island sponsoring a reception for the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth at the Conservative Party conference?"

Our response to your request is as follows: "What was the cost to the tax payer of the trips undertaken by the Chief Minister and other ministers to the Labour and Conservative party conferences this year?” Labour Travel costs £350.74 Accommodation £476.00 Food £34.70 Conference Passes £2,000.00 TOTAL £2,861.44 Conservative Travel costs £1,397.75 Accommodation £2,006.20 Food £323.44 Conference Passes (including postage) £3,917.94 TOTAL £7,645.33

The above table provides a breakdown of the costs associated with attending both the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences in 2018.
The Labour Party Conference was attended by the Chief Minister, Minister Skelly and three accompanying officers. As the Conference was held in Liverpool they attended for one day with an overnight stay. The Conservative Party Conference was attended by the Chief Minister, Minister Cannan, Minister Ashford and three accompanying officers. They attended for three days with two overnight stays. Attending Party Conferences enables the Isle of Man Government to make new contacts and maintain relationships with senior and influential Members of the both the governing and opposition Parties. Meetings also take place with senior industry and business representatives who attend Party Conferences. This work forms part of the Isle of Man Government’s continued targeted engagement to protect and defend the Island's interests and reputation.

“And what was the cost of the island sponsoring a reception for the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth at the Conservative Party conference? " The Isle of Man Government sponsored a reception at the Conservative Party Conference, organised by the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth. The total cost was £400. Attending and sponsoring this event gave the opportunity for the Isle of Man to share a platform alongside the the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Harriet Baldwin MP, Minister of State for Africa, Helen Grant MP, Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party. The event allowed the Isle of Man to outline its work with the Commonwealth at a high profile networking event, which focused on Foreign Policy, rather than Party Political issues.

Please quote the reference number 622865 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