Mr John Simpson
[FOI #11287 email]
June 1st, 2009
Dear Mr Simpson
RFI20090659 - Freedom of Information request Thank you for your email of May 5th requesting any information on how the BBC intends to cover
the first British Armed Forces Day, on June 27th, 2009. The reference number for your request is
RFI20090659.
The information you requested is not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the
Act”). However, I can confirm that BBC News is working on plans for coverage and does at this
stage envisage that the event will be covered.
Your request falls outside the scope of the Act because the BBC and the other public service
broadcasters are covered by the Act only in respect of information held for purposes “other than
those of journalism, art or literature” (see Schedule I, Part VI of the Act). We are not therefore
obliged to supply information held for the purposes of creating the BBC’s output or information
that supports and is closely associated with these creative activities. Information which is not
subject to disclosure under the Act because of Schedule I might otherwise be exempt from
disclosure because of the application of other provisions of the Act.
For more information about how the Act applies to the BBC please see www.bbc.co.uk/foi.
Please note that this guidance is not intended to be a comprehensive legal interpretation of how
the Act applies to the BBC.
The BBC makes a huge range of information available about our programmes and content on
bbc.co.uk. We also proactively publish information covered by the Act on our publication scheme
and regularly handle requests for information under the Act.
The BBC does not offer an internal review when the information requested is not covered by the
Act. If you disagree with our decision you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. Contact
details are: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire,
SK9 5AF telephone 01625 545 700. http://www.ico.gov.uk
Yours sincerely
Stephanie Harris
Head of Accountability, BBC News
