Council of Ministers Proceedings
The Extract of Proceedings of the Council of Ministers is regularly published and can be downloaded on this page.
Council of Ministers Extract of Proceedings
Council meets weekly on a Thursday in the Council Chamber at Government Office in Douglas, although meetings can be held at any time at the discretion of the Chief Minister. Council meetings are an opportunity for Ministers to explore topics of the day and make decisions.
An agenda and papers for discussion are circulated in advance and decisions are usually reached by consensus. Minutes of meetings are taken and circulated with documentation at the next meeting. Although Council meetings are confidential under the Council of Ministers' Act, a monthly extract of Council proceedings is published on the Government website. These extracts outline the core topics discussed and decisions made by Council.
Reading the Extract of Proceedings
From 2022 onwards, the following redaction principals are applied:
Extracts of proceedings will not contain commercially sensitive information; information relating to the Government budget or other budgetary or financial matters; information received in confidence from a third party; or information which would otherwise cause substantial harm if disclosed.
Although there has been a delay in publishing extracts from 2022, work is now under way. Extracts from 2023 will be published approximately 8 weeks in arrears.
You may notice that the extracts use language such as 'approved' or 'noted'. That is because different types of papers require a different response or action from Council. For example:
- Seek Approval - departments are asking Council for a decision on a matter that has been clearly laid out, with recommendations for action
- Seek Direction - Council's broad position is sought to be established. Departments may be seeking a 'steer' from Council on a particular policy area, short of finalised operational detail
- Information Only - factual information for noting by Council
Historical Extracts of Proceedings
Should you wish to view a report from a previous year, please use the Related Links to view the archived documents.
