The Department of Enterprise has acknowledged that there were ‘failings’ in providing details of any Covid-19 support grant given to former Chief Minister Howard Quayle.

A total of £57,125 was provided by the department in financial support to Mr Quayle’s holiday cottage business during the pandemic.

The £34,375 for the period up until March 31, 2021, had already been disclosed in the government’s annual accounts, and after discussion with Mr Quayle, the sum of £22,750 for the period from April 2021 to March 31 this year is being disclosed early.

The Department for Enterprise had been ordered to release these figures by the Information Commissioner, following a freedom of information request.

Though the department publishes a report each year listing all businesses which have been provided support under its financial assistance support schemes, it said it acknowledged there were ‘failings in the way in which it processed and determined this specific request’.

This was due to the policy of not regularly disclosing the breakdown of payments provided to any individual business under its schemes.

‘This is based on a determination that publishing such details may be detrimental to the commercial interests of a business and therefore deter applicants from coming forward for eligible support,’ it said.

The department stressed that ‘Mr Quayle was at no time involved in any decision made to withhold the information’ nor given the opportunity to voluntarily disclose it, for which it apologised to him.

It said this had ‘wider implications’ for the level of disclosure needed for businesses receiving support.

As the Isle of Man Examiner this week reported in its front-page story, the Information Commissioner criticised the department for a ‘blasé’ approach to freedom of information requests, but the department assured it took them ‘extremely seriously’.

The commissioner ordered the department to release details of any Covid support grants given to Mr Howard Quayle.

Iain McDonald’s ruling came after the DfE refused to confirm how much, if any, public money had been awarded to Mr Quayle for his holiday cottages.

An FoI request submitted last year by island advocate Ian Kermode pointed out that in the Tynwald register of members’ interests Mr Quayle is listed as owning 12 holiday cottages.

Mr Kermode asked whether Mr Quayle, as owner or director, had received any grants or loans for these under the government’s Covid support schemes - and if so, how much.

Had all public money received been declared in the register of financial interests, he asked, and had Mr Quayle offered to pay any of it back?

But when it rejected the request, the department cited an exemption that information was provided in confidence.

Mr Kermode appealed against that decision, insisting there was an ’overriding public interest’ in the information being published.

And when the DfE confirmed its decision following a review, the applicant complained to the Information Commissioner.

In his ruling, Mr McDonald said it was not necessary to apply or consider applying any exemption to the information relating to the amount paid to the former chief minister under the tourism scheme.

He said the DfE had made a predetermined decision to apply an exemption and was not justified in doing so.

Mr McDonald said the ’public authority has demonstrated a blasé approach to complying with its statutory regulations’ and had ’acted contrary to the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act’.

The department was ordered to release the information within 30 days or provide another reason for not doing so.

The Information Commissioner said in his decision notice: ’Tens of millions of pounds of public money have been allocated to support industry through the Covid-19 pandemic via various schemes.

’And there is undoubtedly, therefore, a substantial public interest in how much, and to whom, financial support has been allocated, in particular whether that support has been distributed fairly to qualifying applicants in accordance with the relevant scheme.’

The Examiner approached Mr Quayle to respond.

He said he was first made aware of the Freedom of Information request on Friday.

He said: ’My business interests on the island have never been a secret.

’They have been on the register of members’ interests - and therefore in the public domain - since I was first elected as an MHK in 2011. That includes confirmation that I am one of the owners of a self-catering accommodation business (although not involved in its day-to-day running) which offers holidays lets and have been ever since 2006.

’Like many other businesses on the island, it was hit hard by the closing of the island’s borders.

’Although the company did not apply in the earliest stages, once it became clear that the pandemic would last for a considerable time, an application for support was made under the Coronavirus Strategic Capacity Scheme (tourism accommodation).

’I feel certain the application would have been considered and dealt with like any other on the grounds of eligibility/meeting relevant criteria and the full details will be rightly available when published by the Department for Enterprise.

’Naturally, on any occasion when the question of support for holiday let businesses was discussed in the Council of Minsters, I made my interest clear and left the room, something which was also minuted.’

The Council of Ministers agreed in March 2020 a package of financial support measures to protect strategically important business sectors, including tourism accommodation, that have been hit by the Covid pandemic.

Grants under the tourism scheme were awarded on a per room per day basis.

In a series of funding rounds a total of 1,295 applications were received and payments totalling £13,653,990 were made as of January 4 this year.

When challenged by Trevor Cowin, who stood in the Keys general election in September and who is a frequent contributor to our newspapers’ letters pages, Alex Allinson, the Minister for Enterprise, responded: ’The Department for Enterprise has a long-standing position that it does not comment on individual cases of financial assistance provided to businesses, to ensure in each case that the integrity of sensitive information is upheld, and that individuals or businesses are not dissuaded from coming forward for financial support.

’This position remains in regards to emergency support implemented throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

’A high level overview of financial support provided to businesses is outlined each year in the Enterprise Act 2008 Annual Report, which is laid before Tynwald for scrutiny, and made publicly available.

’Following the Information Commissioner’s decision in this case, the department will review its position and respond accordingly.’

The department later released the information.