The government will not be extending FoIs to arms-length companies such as the Steam Packet and the Manx Development Corporation.
However, it has also confirmed that it will not introduce charges for FoI requests.
The decisions follow a review by the Council of Ministers, which considered both introducing fees and adding publicly-owned companies to the Freedom of Information Act 2015.
In its report, the Council stated it has decided “not to introduce any fees or cost limits for FoI requests at this time.”
It said this “underscores Council’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a transparent and accessible FoI regime, free of charge”.
Pressure
On the topic of publicly-owned companies, the ministers concluded “not to include any additional publicly-owned companies to Schedule 1 at this time”
The rationale given was “the increased administrative pressure that this would place on certain publicly-owned companies”.
The review noted that since 2018, the government has “experienced an average annual increase of 17% in the number of requests received,” leading to “rising costs and resource demands”.
A public consultation on the proposals showed “over 65% of respondents disagreed with the proposal allowing public authorities to refuse requests that exceed 15 hours”.
When asked about introducing a fee, “most respondents were opposed to this,” viewing Freedom of Information as “a fundamental right that should remain free”.
Looking ahead, the Council of Ministers “has committed to review the Freedom of Information policy again in December 2027″.
The report concluded that the Council “remains committed to adapting the FoI regime as necessary in future reviews to ensure it continues to serve the public interest effectively”.
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