Isle of Man

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The Isle of Man does not have a Freedom of Information Act, but it does have a Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. This covers much the same ground, but doesn't have the force of law.

Code of Practice on Access to Government Information

The code of practice provides for the government to provide on request:

  • full information about how public services are run, how much they cost, who is in charge, and what complaints and redress procedures are available;
  • full information about what services are being provided, what targets are set, what standards of service are expected and the results achieved.
  • information relating to their policies, actions and decisions and other matters related to their areas of responsibility.

"Government" in this case means:

  • Departments[1]
  • Statutory Boards[2]
  • Offices[3]

Freedom of Information Bill 2014

A Freedom of Information Bill was passed by Tynwald in 2015. It has a similar structure to the UK and Scottish Acts. It covers a much wider range of information than the code of practice. It is expected to be brought into force initially in February 2016, and to be extended to more authorities in stages until January 2018.[4]

A notable difference from the UK and Scottish Acts is that the Manx Act only allows residents of the Isle of Man to request information.