RAF use of Ronaldsway

Summary

The requester asked for a written agreement between the Isle of Man Government and the RAF regarding Ronaldsway Airport training, as well as annual payment figures since 2011. The Department of Infrastructure confirmed no specific written agreement exists and refused to provide financial data due to the excessive burden of staff time required to compile it.

Key Facts

• The Department of Infrastructure does not hold a written agreement with the Royal Air Force for the use of Ronaldsway Airport.
• Ronaldsway Airport is licensed for public use and accepts all aircraft types, including military, on equal terms without individual agreements.
• The request for financial data since 2011 was refused because compiling it would create a significant burden on the Department.
• Extrapolating data for one year would require checking approximately 25,000 individual take-offs and landings.
• The total estimated work required to fulfill the eight-year data request is around 10,000 hours.

Data Disclosed

• 2019-07-31
• 2019-08-07
• 2011
• 25,000
• three minutes
• 1,250 hours
• eight years
• 10,000 hours
• 909057

Exemptions Cited

• Significant burden on the Department in terms of staff time and expense

Original Request

Could you disclose the written agreement between the Isle of Man Government and Royal Air Force regarding the use of Ronaldsway Airport for training. Moreover, since 2011, could you advise how much money the Isle of Man government has received from the RAF in exchange for use of Ronaldsway airport for training purposes, and make provision of those figures on an annual basis.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: DPO-DOI@gov.im

Our ref: 909057 7 August 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 31 July 2019 and which states:

"Could you disclose the written agreement between the Isle of Man Government and Royal Air Force regarding the use of Ronaldsway Airport for training. Moreover, since 2011, could you advise how much money the Isle of Man government has received from the RAF in exchange for use of Ronaldsway airport for training purposes, and make provision of those figures on an annual basis." Our response to the first part of your request is that the Department does not have a written agreement in place with the Royal Air Force. The Isle of Man Airport is licensed for public use and is available for the take-off and landing of aircraft for all persons on equal terms and conditions. All types of aircraft, including military aircraft, are accepted. This is standard for any commercial airport and no individual agreements are in place. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, regarding the second part of your request to provide the information would create a significant burden on the Department in terms of staff time and expense. To extrapolate the data for just one year would involve checking the records of approximately twenty five thousand individual take-offs and landings. Each check could take an average of three minutes meaning around one thousand two hundred and fifty hours work. As your question asks for eight years of records the time element would total around ten thousand hours of work. Please quote the reference number 909057 in any future communications. You have the 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 us and we 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 us. 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 FOI Response Team