Jane Black
By email to
: [FOI #29783 email]
26 March 2010
Dear Ms Black
Freedom of Information Act 2000 – reference number RFI20100299
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act (‘the Act’) of 26 February 2010.
You requested:
“1. How many websites does the BBC currently publish via BBC.co.uk
2. Please can I have a list of their names and web addresses?”
You later clarified your question 1 as follows:
“To clarify further, I am seeking the number of "Top Level Directories" on bbc.co.uk, as referred to in the
BBC Executive's recent strategic review
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/review_report_strategy/strategic_review/strategy_review.txt”
1. How many websites does the BBC currently publish via BBC.co.uk
At the time of the BBC Strategy Review (Putting Quality First) there were some four hundred top level
directories on bbc.co.uk. The BBC maintains a list of the top level directories which make up the site,
although this list changes frequently as new sites are published and old ones are deleted. Since the Strategy
Review, some of the top level directories, such as www.bbc.co.uk/celebdaq, have been closed.
The proposals announced in the Strategy Review are currently subject to a public consultation process by
the BBC Trust. Details on how to contribute to the consultation process can be found at this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consultations/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-
review/consultation/consult_view
2. Please can I have a list of their names and web addresses?
The information you have requested is due to be published next week on the BBC’s Internet Blog at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/.
Under section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act, information is exempt if the information is held by
the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future
date (whether determined or not).
As section 22 is a qualified exemption, we are required under s 2(2) of the Act to assess whether the public
interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information ahead of
the planned schedule.
In favour of release we considered that there is generally a public interest in increasing the accountability
and transparency of publicly-funded organisations. However, we do not consider that there is a particular
public interest in the early release of this information. The factors in favour of disclosing this information in
line with the planned schedule include:
• The information needs to be collated, double-checked and presented in a consistent format for
ease of reference. There is a public interest in ensuring efficient use of BBC resource and in the
general public receiving the correct information, presented in a consistent way ; and
• It is in the public interest that this information should be disclosed to all licence-fee payers at the
same time, rather than provided in advance to one individual.
We are therefore satisfied, in terms of section 2 of the Act, that in all the circumstances of the case, the
public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information
ahead of schedule.
Appeal Rights
If you are not satisfied that we have complied with the Act in responding to your request, you have the
right to an internal review by a BBC senior manager or legal adviser. Please contact us at the address
above, explaining what you would like us to review and including your reference number. If you are not
satisfied with the internal review, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. The contact details are:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone
01625 545 700 or see
http://www.ico.gov.uk/ Yours sincerely
L. Stiller
Legal and Business Affairs Manager
Future Media & Technology
