Villa-Gaiety bosses have refused to reveal details of the profit or loss made by last year’s Tom Jones concert in Noble’s Park - citing commercial confidentiality.

Isle of Man Newspapers requested the details under the Freedom of Information Act.

We asked the Department of Economic Development to supply details of the profit or loss made from the concert at Noble’s Park on July 26 last year - and if it made a loss, how much of that loss was incurred by the taxpayer.

In its response, the DED said the information should be withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.

It said in this case, the contract between the artist and Villa-Gaiety specifically prohibited publicly releasing financial information in connection with the event.

The DED said: ’Releasing the information would therefore be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the department by damaging the relationship with the artist and their management and make it less likely that the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre can book artists in the future.’

Being a qualified exemption, a public interest test had to be applied.

The DED said factors in favour of disclosing the information included transparency and showing how much money is spent by the public sector; and promoting good decision-making.

Factors against included enabling the department to book the best possible acts and so maximise value for money to the taxpayer; and the need to protect relationships with artists/agents so they are not put off from making bookings with the venues.

But it said having taken all of these factors into account, factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweighed those in favour of disclosure.

It pointed out that the department remains in financial dispute with TinyCow, which arranged the concert.

Previously DED Minister Laurance Skelly said the gig was ’close to a break-even point from the taxpayers’ point of view.’