Consultation asks whether charges should be introduced
The cabinet office minister says the workload around Freedom of Information requests is increasing 'exponentially'.
It's as a consultation asks whether people should be charged for submitting them, or limits be put on the amount of requests individuals can make.
Government says it cost £181,000 and took up to 5,300 hours to respond to all 982 requests submitted.
David Ashford was asked if the workload would be less if the information was more accessible to begin with:
Meanwhile, almost half of overall requests were submitted by the same small group of individuals last year, government says.
You can listen to the full interview with Mr Ashford via Newscast below:
Doctors claim 'critical shortfall' in hospital beds is posing 'direct risk' to life
Charity reports marked increase in level of debt residents are struggling with
Bus drivers' strike: Hopes for new offer as negotiations continue
Charity encourages Manx residents to learn basic sign language
'Pressure in the system' but bed figures are wrong says Manx Care