Enterprise Development Scheme

Summary

The request sought details on payments, fund manager fees, and job creation under the Isle of Man's Enterprise Development Scheme. The authority disclosed the total fees paid to the former fund manager and the number of jobs created, but withheld specific recipient names pending future publication under a qualified exemption.

Key Facts

• The relationship with fund manager SPARK Impact ended on 18 January 2019.
• Fees paid to SPARK Impact totaled £631,372 excluding VAT.
• As of 30 November 2018, 20 new jobs were created through the scheme.
• Some business recipient names were withheld as they are scheduled for publication in the 2018/19 Annual Report.
• The Department for Enterprise now manages the scheme internally.

Data Disclosed

• £631,372
• 18 January 2019
• 30 November 2018
• 20 jobs
• 50 million fund
• 2018/19
• autumn 2019
• March 2019

Exemptions Cited

• Section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information intended for future publication)

Original Request

How many payments have been made out of the 50 million fund and to whom? How much has been paid to the fund managers? How many new jobs have been created?

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 685375) Website: www.gov.im/ded Email: steven.tallach@gov.im

Our ref: 831765 13 June 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request on the Enterprise Development Scheme which was received on 17 May 2019 and which states:

"How many payments have been made out of the 50 million fund and to whom? How much has been paid to the fund managers? How many new jobs have been created?"

Our response to your request is as follows:

"How many payments have been made out of the 50 million fund and to whom? Most of the businesses to whom payments have been made under the Enterprise Development Scheme are listed in the publicly available Enterprise Act 2008 Annual Reports: Enterprise Act 2008 Annual Report 2017/18, section 7, page 10: http://www.tynwald.org.im/business/opqp/sittings/20182021/2018-GD-0064.pdf Enterprise Act 2008 Annual Report 2016/17, section 7, page 10: http://www.tynwald.org.im/business/opqp/sittings/Tynwald%2020162018/2017-GD- 0071.pdf However some of the names of the businesses that have received support have not yet been published. They will be listed in the Enterprise Act 2008 Annual Report for 2018/19, which will be published in autumn 2019. The total amount of support provided under the Enterprise Development Scheme as at the end of March 2019 will also be published in the report. In this instance 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 that is of serious concern and benefit to the public at large.

Factors in favour of disclosure

• The public has the right to information in relation to how public money is spent.

Factors in favour of withholding • Most of the requested information has already been released or is being released in this response, so there is little reason to add more at this stage. • Regulation 16 of the Enterprise Development Scheme 2018 requires the Department to publish information on the Enterprise Development Scheme on an annual basis, laid before Tynwald. There is therefore already a mechanism for release of the information that is being sought. • As the information that is being sought will be laid before Tynwald in autumn 2019 there will be no significantly long period before the information is published.

In taking these factors into account the the Department for Enterprise determined that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information.

“How much has been paid to the fund managers?” The relationship with the fund manager SPARK Impact ended on 18th January 2019. The fees paid to the Company for the period of its appointment was £631,372 excluding VAT. Since January 2019 the management of the new Enterprise Development Scheme 2018 is undertaken internally by the Department. “How many new jobs have been created?" As of 30 November 2018, 20 jobs had been created as a result of investment from the Enterprise Development Scheme. Please quote the reference number 831765 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