How many Schedule 4 birds are kept on the IOM, and what species?

Summary

The request sought data on Schedule 4 bird species kept on the Isle of Man since 2011, including locations and reasons for keeping them. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture provided species counts for 2011/12, 2013/14, and 2015/16 but refused to disclose geographic locations, 2017/18 figures, or reasons for keeping the birds due to the substantial compilation exemption.

Key Facts

• Schedule 4 bird figures are collated every two years to comply with the Bern Convention.
• The Department holds location data but does not collate it by geographic area.
• Information on why birds are kept is not held in a retrievable format.
• Figures for 2017/2018 were not yet collated at the time of the response.
• The total number of Schedule 4 birds decreased from 51 in 2011/12 to 25 in 2015/16.

Data Disclosed

• 2019-08-28
• 2019-09-20
• 2011/2012
• 2013/2014
• 2015/2016
• 2017/2018
• 51
• 31
• 25
• 10
• 8
• 5
• 4
• 3
• 1
• 940745

Exemptions Cited

• Section 8(3)(c) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (substantial compilation or collation)

Original Request

How many Schedule 4 birds are kept on the IOM, what species are they and how many of each species are kept? What part of the island are they registered at? Could you give the the figures since 2011 if possible? If you have any information on why they are kept (eg, permanently disabled wild caught bird) could you provide that too.

Data Tables (2)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator Corporate Services Directorate Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no (01624) 685854 Fax no (01624 685851 Email: defa@gov.im www.gov.im

Our ref: 940745 20th September 2019

Dear ###,

We write further to your request which was received on the 28th August 2019 and which states:

"How many Schedule 4 birds are kept on the IOM, what species are they and how many of each species are kept? What part of the island are they registered at? Could you give the figures since 2011 if possible? If you have any information on why they are kept (eg, permanently disabled wild caught bird) could you provide that too." Response While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance a practical refusal reason applies to some of the information as complying with the request would require the Department to do something that it is not required to do, namely to “undertake substantial compilation or collation” of information that is held. 1. How many Schedule 4 birds are kept on the IOM, what species are they and how many of each species are kept? Species 2015/2016 2013/2014 2011/2012 Barn owl -Tyto alba 4 3 10 Goshawk - Accipiter gentilis 3 5 8 Peregrine - Falco peregrinus 3 4 5 Eagle Owl - Bubo bubo 4 4 5 Harris hawk - Parabuteo unicinctus 1 3 4 Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1 Great horned owl - Bubo virginianus 1 2 2 Little owl - Athene noctua 1 1 3 Long-eared owl - Asio otus 1 1 1 Spectacled owl - Pulsatrix perspicillata 5 5 3 Bengal eagle owl - Bubo bengalensis 1 1 1

Peregrine-saker hybrid - Falco peregrinus- F. cherrug - 2 2 Buzzard - Buteo buteo - - 1 Lanner falcon - Falco biarmicus - - 1 Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus - - 1 Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus - - 1 Gyr-saker hybrid - Falco rusticolus- F.cherrug - - 1 Burrowing owl - Athene cunicularia - - 2 25 31 51 2. What part of the island are they registered at? Although we know the locations of the birds we do not collate the information by geographic area. To collate it specifically for this request is something the Department is not required to do under section 8(3)(c) of the Act. 3. Could you give the figures since 2011 if possible? See the table above. The figures are collated every two years, when requested in order to comply with the Bern Convention and report to the Council of Europe (via the UK’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The figures for 2017/2018 have not yet been collated which means we would have to collate it specifically for this request which is something the Department is not required to do under section 8(3)(c) of the Act. 4. If you have any information on why they are kept (eg, permanently disabled wild caught bird) could you provide that too. Although we have a little information on the reasons they are kept it is not collated and is not held in a way that makes it easily retrievable. This means we would have to collate it specifically for this request which is something the Department is not required to do under section 8(3)(c) of the Act. In addition to this much information that could answer this question is not held.

Please quote the reference number 940745 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