09 February 2010

Dear Ms Davis

re: Freedom of Information request - Diversity Targets

Thank you for your email dated 12 January 2010 which has been passed to me for reply. As Access to Information Manager for English Heritage I have responsibility for responding to requests for information covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (`the FoI Act'). In your email you have asked for a range of information concerning English Heritage's performance with regard to increasing the diversity of visitors to places in our care. Specifically you have requested copies of all documentation held by English Heritage that fall within the scope of the following categories:

Part A information

I note that you begin your email by stating that English Heritage has “failed to meet targets for increasing the diversity of visitors to places in its care” and assume you are referring to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report, Promoting Participation with the Historic Environment, which was published on 11 January 2010, the day before your request was received, and which commented on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (`DCMS') targets and performance in this area.

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that English Heritage has not failed to meet its targets for increasing the diversity of visitors to its sites.

The overall target for increasing diversity was Public Service Agreement 3 (PSA3), to achieve a 3% increase in people from priority groups visiting historic sites over the period 2005/06 to 2007/08. The target belonged to DCMS, our sponsor body, and applied to the heritage sector as a whole. English Heritage contributed to the Department's target in a number of ways: our Funding Agreement with Government set out three targets in support of PSA3 and English Heritage agreed a delivery plan with DCMS which captured work being done across the organisation to increase diversity more generally, not just among visitors to our sites. As the Public Accounts Committee was concerned with the targets English Heritage was set in its Funding Agreement I shall take this as the scope of your request.

The three English Heritage targets were:

priority groups to historic sites

The DCMS participation survey known as Taking Part is a general household survey which captures participation in the arts, sport and museums as well as the historic environment. English Heritage along with other bodies in the culture sector contributes to it financially. Further information on the Taking Part survey, is available on the DCMS's website and includes a link to the report which contains the survey's overall results. Page 4 of the report concerns the heritage sector.

Parts B, C and D information

English Heritage's Funding Agreement targets which contributed to PSA3 were discussed at twice-yearly Funding Agreement Monitoring Group meetings. These meetings are attended by representatives of English Heritage, DCMS and the departments for Communities and Local Government and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, co-signatories to the Funding Agreement. HM Treasury also retains a watching brief and usually sends a representative. I attach the relevant sections of English Heritage's progress reports to these meetings:

Only one of the Funding Agreement Monitoring Group meetings mentioned the targets that are the subject of your request and I also attach the relevant minutes. These were taken at the November 2006 meeting which reviewed performance for the first half of that year. You will see from the attached progress reports and Monitoring Group minutes that English Heritage met all of its PSA3 related targets.

In addition, and for your interest, I also attach the following documents which relate to English Heritage's PSA3 delivery plan:

Parts E and G information

These Parts of your request concern English Heritage's “failure to meet the [aforementioned] targets”. As English Heritage met the targets in its Funding Agreement we do not hold any information that is relevant to these Parts of your request.

You may however be interested to know that English Heritage measures the diversity of visitors to the sites in its care via an annual visitor survey of the top 10 charging sites. The most recent survey for the 2009 season indicated that 30% of visitors were from priority groups, up from 28% the previous year. English Heritage's website has a section entitled `Heritage for All' which sets out some of our ongoing work to broaden engagement with the historic environment.

Part F information

I can confirm that there was some media coverage of both the National Audit Office report which was the subject of the Public Accounts Committee hearing and the subsequent Public Accounts Committee report. I am pleased to be able to enclose copies of the articles that were identified by our Press Office at the time your request was received. You may also wish to read our press release issued on 11 December 2009 in response to the most recent `Taking Part' results.

Please note that the documents provided in response to this Part of your request are subject to copyright. Public authorities complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the FoI Act to release information to an applicant are not breaching the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The FoI Act specifically authorises the release of the information to an applicant, even if it is in such a form as would otherwise breach the copyright interests of a third party. Even though these documents are supplied to you under the FoI Act normal copyright

rules apply and they continue to protect the rights of the copyright holder once the information is received by the applicant. You will therefore be in breach of copyright if you reproduce or publish these documents without permission.

I hope that the information I have provided is helpful to you. If however, you are unhappy with the response that you have received you may ask for an internal review. You should contact: Mr Mike Harlow, Legal Director, English Heritage, One Waterhouse Square, 138 - 142 Holborn, London, EC1N 2ST.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, CHESHIRE, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

Jess Trevitt

Access to Information Manager

E-mail: [email address]