Government & Administration

317 FOI requests relate to this topic across 23 authorities. Full disclosure rate: 32.5%.

By Authority

By Year

Outcomes

Notable Cases (81)

[-] Letters between External Relations, and the UK Ministry of Justice

2026-02-03 | Cabinet Office | No information sent - all held but exempt

A request for correspondence between the Isle of Man Cabinet Office and the UK Ministry of Justice regarding the Assisted Dying Bill was refused as all information was held but exempt under international relations provisions. While the specific letters were withheld, the authority provided links to a summary letter to Tynwald Members and upcoming Hansard records as an alternative.

• The request covered correspondence since February 2025 regarding the Assisted Dying Bill.
• Information was withheld under section 29(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015.
• The exemption was applied because disclosure would likely prejudice relations between the Isle of Man and the UK.

Data: 5275113, 2026-02-03, 2026-03-02, February 2025, 10 February 2026

[-] Correspondence between AG's chambers and UK Ministry of Justice

2026-02-03 | Attorney General's Chambers | No information sent - all held but exempt

A request was made for correspondence between the Attorney General's Chambers and the UK Ministry of Justice regarding the Assisted Dying Bill 2023 since February 2025. The authority confirmed holding the information but refused disclosure citing legal professional privilege and international relations exemptions.

• The request covered correspondence regarding the Assisted Dying Bill 2023 from February 2025 onwards.
• The Attorney General's Chambers confirmed holding the requested information.
• The Bill is identified as a private members bill for which the AG provided drafting services.

Data: 5275313, 2026-02-03, 2026-02-26, February 2025, Assisted Dying Bill 2023

[-] Conferences

2026-01-21 | Cabinet Office | Some information sent but part exempt

The request sought itemised lists of all purchases made by Isle of Man officials at the 2024 Labour and Conservative Party Conferences. The Cabinet Office provided partial information regarding travel, accommodation, and conference passes, but withheld specific meal details and personal data under exemptions.

• The request was received on 2026-01-21 and responded to on 2026-03-09, exceeding the statutory 20 working day limit.
• Information was provided for four attendees: Chief Minister Alfred Cannan, Minister Tim Johnston, CEO Andy Ralphs, and External Relations Manager Alana Arculus.
• Specific meal descriptions (e.g., 'chicken curry') were withheld because the Cabinet Office does not record such granular details.

Data: 2026-01-21, 2026-03-09, 22 September to 25 September 2024, 29 September to 2 October 2024, £177.77

[-] Consultation on proposed amendments to the Local Government Act 1985

2025-10-28 | Department of Infrastructure | Some information sent but part exempt

The requester asked for all submissions regarding amendments to the Local Government Act 1985 embodied in the 2023 Bill. The Department of Infrastructure disclosed that no submissions were received from local authorities in summer 2025 but withheld a report on earlier consultations under a policy formulation exemption.

• The Department of Infrastructure received no submissions from local authorities in summer 2025 prior to the Legislative Council evidence session.
• A large number of submissions were received earlier in 2025 regarding New Clause 2 proposed by MHK Lawrie Hooper.
• A report was prepared in response to the earlier submissions and sent to all Local Authorities.

Data: 2025-10-28, 2025-11-21, 5034450, January – February 2025, New Clause 1

[-] Territorial Seas - UK's response to Chief Minister's request

2025-10-28 | Cabinet Office | Some information sent but part exempt

The request sought correspondence between the Isle of Man Chief Minister and the UK Government regarding the territorial sea median line and EEZ from May 2024 onwards. The response disclosed internal Isle of Man emails from January and February 2024 discussing the drafting and potential release of a letter to the UK Ministry of Justice, though the outcome was noted as partially exempt.

• The request concerns the future of the sea area beyond the Isle of Man's 12 nautical mile territorial limit and the median line with the UK.
• The Chief Minister's initial letter to the UK Ministry of Justice was drafted in early 2024 following a Tynwald resolution.
• Internal correspondence reveals discussions about sharing the letter with Tynwald Members and the potential for it to enter the public domain.

Data: May 2024, 12 nautical mile, 2025-10-28, 2025-11-26, 63 pages

[-] Isle of Man Law Society quarterly meeting agendas/attachments/minutes

2025-10-06 | Department of Home Affairs | Some information sent but part exempt

The requester asked for agendas, attachments, and minutes of quarterly meetings between the Department of Home Affairs and the Isle of Man Law Society from 2019 to the present. The authority disclosed informal notes from 2023 to 2025 but withheld earlier records and specific details citing exemptions for public business and personal information.

• The Department of Home Affairs and the Law Society hold informal quarterly meetings to discuss matters of mutual interest.
• No formal agendas or minutes exist for these meetings; only informal notes are captured.
• Records of these informal notes only began to be kept in 2023, meaning no information is held for the 2019-2022 period requested.

Data: 2019, 2023, 2025, 1st January 2019, 6 October 2025

[+] Polls

2025-08-15 | Department for Enterprise | All information sent

The request sought records of all social media polls published by Digital Isle of Man between July and August 2025, including any deleted content. The authority disclosed details of four published polls and one removed poll, providing supporting screenshots and internal chat extracts while redacting personal data.

• Digital Isle of Man published four polls on LinkedIn between 1 July and 15 August 2025.
• A fifth poll published on 14 August 2025 was removed the same evening for not aligning with the agency's remit.
• Supporting documentation included screenshots of poll content and internal chat logs evidencing the removal decision.

Data: 1 July 2025, 15 August 2025, 8 July 2025, 16 July 2025, 28 July 2025

[-] Public Sector Equality Duty - Youth Service

2025-07-18 | Department of Education, Sport and Culture | Some information sent but part exempt

The requester asked for evidence of the Public Sector Equality Duty compliance for the Isle of Man Youth Service, specifically seeking Equality Impact Assessments. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded with partial information, providing details on specific youth clubs and general guidance on equality duties, while withholding some documents under exemptions.

• The response references specific youth services including an LGBTQ+ club and a PHAB club for special education referrals.
• Compliance is governed by the IOM Equality Act (2017) and Section 36 of the Education Act 2001.
• The authority outlined seven principles for fulfilling equality duties, including knowledge, timeliness, and proper record keeping.

Data: 2017, 2001, Section 36, 18 pages, 2 documents

[-] MHK and MLC absences 2021 - 2025

2025-07-01 | Office of the Clerk of Tynwald | No information sent - all held but exempt

The request sought a compiled table of authorized and unauthorized absences for MHKs and MLCs from October 2021 to June 2025, including reasons for absence. The authority refused to compile the data, directing the requester to existing public records, and withheld specific reasons for absence citing personal data exemptions.

• The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald is not required to create or derive information by compiling existing records.
• Absence data is already reasonably accessible via Votes and Proceedings and Hansard on the Tynwald website.
• Specific reasons for leave of absence are withheld as they constitute personal data under Section 25 of the Act.

Data: October 2021, 29.06.25, 1 July 2025, 22 July 2025, 4761789

[+] Interview Panel

2025-06-26 | Department for Enterprise | All information sent

The requester sought the names of the interview panel for the non-executive Chair of Visit Isle of Man and clarification on political involvement. The Department for Enterprise disclosed the full list of panel members, confirming that one Member of the House of Keys participated in the process.

• The interview panel for the non-executive Chair of Visit Isle of Man consisted of three individuals.
• Sarah Maltby MHK, a political figure, sat on the interview panel as the Political Member for Visit Isle of Man.
• Deborah Heather, CEO of Visit Isle of Man, was a member of the panel.

Data: 2025-06-26, 2025-07-24, 4758173, 20 minutes, 2 pages

[-] Major projects board

2025-06-19 | Treasury | Some information sent but part exempt

The request sought agendas, minutes, and project documents regarding onshore renewables from the Major Projects Board, resulting in partial disclosure where specific meeting details were released but other items were withheld under exemption s.25.

• A Major Projects Board meeting was held on Thursday 27th June 2024 via MS Teams.
• Barry O'Driscoll served as the Chair of the meeting.
• The agenda included a discussion on MUA Onshore Wind which was marked as out of scope.

Data: 27th June 2024, 14:00 – 15:30, 12 months, 3 months, 6 months

[~] Advocates Fees Committee

2025-05-21 | General Registry | Upheld - full

The requester asked for the last three Advocates Fees Committee meeting records and member details, but the General Registry only held and disclosed minutes from a single meeting in October 2024, stating other records were not held or could not be found.

• The General Registry does not hold information on previous members appointed by the Law Society and Council of Ministers.
• The Committee meets biennially, with the next meeting scheduled before October 2026.
• The First Deemster is confirmed as a current and former member of the Committee.

Data: 4678237, 2025-05-21, 2025-06-05, 2025-06-26, 8th October 2024

Frequently Mentioned Data

• IM1 3PN (mentioned 29 times)
• 2015 (mentioned 24 times)
• 01624 686244 (mentioned 20 times)
• Freedom of Information Act 2015 (mentioned 19 times)
• 1 (mentioned 17 times)
• 1 document (mentioned 16 times)
• 2 (mentioned 15 times)
• 4 (mentioned 12 times)
• 2020 (mentioned 12 times)
• 3 (mentioned 11 times)

Exemptions Cited