Emergency response procedures for the Ronaldsway Airport won’t be made public because it ‘could harm the national security of the Isle of Man’.

The Department of Infrastructure made the claim in response to a Freedom of Information request submitted on June 17.

The person who submitted the request – whose name is redacted in the response – asked for ‘a copy of the Department’s Emergency Response Procedures for Ronaldsway Airport.’

The department has declined to release the information, stating that it may be used ‘to aid those engaged in terrorist activities’.

It said: ‘While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide the information requested because an exemption under section 28 of the Act applies.

‘Section 28 is a prejudice based exemption, only applying in instances where harm would or would be likely to occur.

‘We are satisfied that disclosing the Emergency Response Procedures for the Airport would harm the national security of the Isle of Man.

‘Our consideration of the prejudice and its likelihood of occurring, in respect of section 28(5)(a),(b) is that release of this into the public domain would compromise all security measures.

‘Such information may be used to aid those engaged in terrorist activities.’

The response then states that as section 28 is a qualified exemption.

This essentially means that it is therefore subject to a public interest test.

In assessing where the public interest lies in respect of section 28, the following factors were considered:

Factors in favour of disclosure:

• To reassure public that the measures in place to safeguard national security are effective.

Factors in favour of withholding:

• Increase of the likelihood of a terrorist incident leading to the loss of life/injury/damage to property, with the information disclosed used as a tool in the planning of an incident;

• Disclosure may discourage organisations, such as the UK Department for Transport, from sharing information relating to aviation security with the Department;

• Reputational harm to the Department and the Isle of Man generally as a consequence of a terrorist incident at the Airport;

• The information does not serve the public interest.

The response concludes: ‘In taking these factors into account, the Department of Infrastructure has determined that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information.’

The FoI request was made the day after the airport was evacuated and remained closed for a number of hours on June 16.

Airport security had identified a potentially suspicious item in the baggage checking area, which was later found not to pose a threat.

Checks indicated the issue was caused by a security alert on a baggage scanning machine being activated. Questions were then subsequently raised around what caused the security alert in the first place.

This ultimately remains unclear.