Isle of Man Post Office

Overview

Metric Value
Total FOI requests 67
Date range 2017-11-13 to 2026-01-07
Full disclosure rate 71.6% (48/67)
Partial disclosure 10
Fully refused/exempt 8

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Count %
All information sent 48 71.6%
Some information sent but part exempt 5 7.5%
Some information sent but not all held 5 7.5%
Information not held 3 4.5%
No information sent - all held but exempt 3 4.5%
Request lapsed - requested information not provided 2 3.0%
Withdrawn 1 1.5%

Requests by Year

Year Count
2017 1
2018 2
2019 3
2020 15
2021 16
2022 25
2023 3
2025 1
2026 1

Top Topics

Notable Cases (8)

[~] Restriction of postal Service Insurance to counter-purchased stamps

2022-05-16 | Request lapsed - requested information not provided

The requester sought justification for a policy allegedly denying compensation for pre-stamped parcels, but the authority clarified that the staff advice was incorrect and confirmed that pre-stamped items are eligible for compensation. The FOI request ultimately lapsed as the matter was resolved as a customer complaint rather than through formal information disclosure.

  • The Isle of Man Post Office confirmed that counter staff incorrectly advised the customer that pre-stamped parcels were not covered by compensation schemes.
  • Management investigated the incident and reminded all staff that pre-stamped items with correct postage are covered for loss, damage, and delay.
  • The authority stated there is no restrictive practice or second-grade level of postage stamps regarding compensation eligibility.

Data: 2446957, 2022-05-16, 2022-05-18, 2022-05-25, 2022-05-27

[-] Legal Disputes

2022-03-08 | No information sent - all held but exempt

The requester asked for detailed statistics and costs regarding legal disputes and fees for the Isle of Man Post Office over the last seven years. The authority refused to disclose specific case costs and legal quotes citing legal professional privilege, while directing the requester to public court websites for general case schedules and awards.

  • The request covered dispute cases, legal fees, and case outcomes for the last 7 years.
  • Information on current cases and past awards was deemed reasonably accessible via the Isle of Man Courts website.
  • Specific legal fees and advocate quotes were withheld under Section 40 of the Act due to legal professional privilege.

Data: 2022-03-08, 2022-04-04, 7 years, February 2022, 4th March 2022

Exemptions: Section 20: Information already reasonably accessible; Section 40: Legal professional privilege

[+] Victimisation & Harassment

2021-06-28 | All information sent

The Isle of Man Post Office responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding employee victimisation and harassment statistics over the last five years, confirming that all formal complaints are investigated and providing specific counts of cases, disciplinary actions, and staff departures.

  • All formal complaints of victimisation and harassment are investigated by the authority.
  • Two cases resulted in disciplinary action against offenders over the five-year period.
  • One staff member reported victimisation and harassment as a contributing factor to leaving the organization.

Data: 2016/17 – 1 case, 2017/18 – 1 case, 2018/19 – 2 cases, 2019/20 – 1 case, 2020/21 – 2 cases

[~] Our ref: 1664869

2021-05-31 | Some information sent but not all held

The requester asked the Isle of Man Post Office for detailed absence costs including cover, pensions, and NI, as well as accountability for rising absence levels. The authority confirmed that absence costs are not required in statutory accounts but stated it does not hold specific data on cover costs, additional costs, or associated pension/NI contributions.

  • IOMPO does not hold information regarding cover costs, additional costs, or associated costs like pensions and employer NI on sick pay.
  • Accounting practice does not require the cost of absence to be disclosed within statutory accounts.
  • The authority stated that communication obligations under the Post Office Act and Statutory Boards Act are clear and publicly available.

Data: 2015/16 - £383,705.64, 2016/17 - £226,964.23, 2017/18 - £413,571.47, 2018/19 - £383,580.12, 2019/20 - £462,377.83

Exemptions: Information not held; Accounting practice does not require disclosure in statutory accounts

[+] Staff Absences follow-up request from ref:1523189

2021-02-08 | All information sent

The Isle of Man Post Office responded to a follow-up FOI request regarding staff absence costs, reasons, and management interventions over the last five years. The authority disclosed total absence costs and specific absence days but clarified that it does not categorize absences as short-term or long-term, nor does it track mental health issues unless they result in absence.

  • The IOMPO does not define short-term and long-term absences within its policy.
  • Total absence costs for 2019/20 were £462,377.83, the highest in the five-year period provided.
  • The main reason for absences recorded in 2019/20 was sprains and strains.

Data: £383,705.64, £226,964.23, £413,571.47, £383,580.12, £462,377.83

[-] Onchan Polling Cards

2020-11-23 | Some information sent but part exempt

A request was made regarding the Isle of Man Post Office's error in printing Onchan Polling Cards, seeking details on reprint costs, staff time, management time, and disciplinary actions. The authority disclosed the time spent and confirmed no disciplinary action was taken, but withheld the specific reprint cost citing commercial sensitivity.

  • The Isle of Man Post Office admitted to incorrectly printing Onchan Polling Cards.
  • 7.25 hours of staff time were spent correcting the error.
  • Up to 30 minutes of management time were spent correcting the error.

Data: 7.25 hours, 30 minutes, 2020-11-23, 2020-12-16, 1568073

Exemptions: Section 30 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Commercial interests)

[-] Revision 2019

2020-06-01 | Some information sent but part exempt

A request was made for detailed mail counts, scanned items, and staff working hours following the 2019 postal revision. The Isle of Man Post Office partially exempted the response, withholding personal staff data and commercial mail volume statistics.

  • The request was received on 2020-06-01 and the outcome was issued on 2020-06-18.
  • Information regarding staff scan-in/scan-out records and duty scans was withheld as personal data.
  • Mail count data (letters, flats, packets, parcels) was withheld to protect commercial interests.

Data: 2020-06-01, 2020-06-18, 1312809, 1313109, 2019

Exemptions: Section 25(b)(i) & (ii) - Absolutely exempt personal information; Section 30 - Commercial interests

[+] Salary Scales and Structure

2020-03-09 | All information sent

A Freedom of Information request to the Isle of Man Post Office sought details on salary scales, allowances, and staffing structure from executives to postmen. The authority responded by providing full salary grading tables and a breakdown of full-time equivalent staff numbers across various business areas as of February 2020.

  • The Isle of Man Post Office pays the Island's living wage, meaning lower salary scales are seldom used.
  • The salary grading structure was implemented with assistance from Korn Ferry Hay Group to comply with the Equality Act.
  • Total establishment staffing was 290.57 full-time equivalents as of 29th February 2020.

Data: 2020-03-09, 2020-03-25, 29th February 2020, £18,541.00, £117,059.00

Most Cited Exemptions

Exemption Times Cited
Section 20: Information already reasonably accessible 2
Section 25(b)(i) & (ii) - Absolutely exempt personal information 1
Section 30 - Commercial interests 1
Section 30 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Commercial interests) 1
Commercially confidential 1
Information not held 1
Accounting practice does not require disclosure in statutory accounts 1
Information not held or cannot be found after reasonable steps 1
Section 40: Legal professional privilege 1
Section 25 of the Act (absolutely exempt personal information) 1

See Also