A.V. Blair via e-mail 
[FOI #30923 email]
 
8th April 2010 
 
Dear Sir/Madam, 
 
Freedom of Information Request - RFI20100402 
 
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) received on 17 March 
2010, seeking the following information:   
 
Would you please tell me the ethnicity of staff working in London for the BBC World Service Afghan stream 
broken down by Pashtun and non-Pashtun for the following grades 
      
     - grades 4 and 5 together 
     - grade 7 
     - grade 8 
     - grades 9 and above together 
      
And I would like the above information to be provided as of the following dates/situations: 
 
     - when the restructuring proposal was announced on 29.06.2009 
     - two years prior to the announcement of the restructuring, 29.06.2007 
     - at a point in the future should the post closures proposed in the restructuring document take 
place. 
      
The BBC does not record information on ethnic background to the level of detail you have asked for 
therefore we are unable to supply information requested. 
 
The table below shows the Ethnicity percentages for the Afghan Stream on the dates requested.   
 
Ethnic 
Ethnic 
  
Majority % 
Minority % 
30th June 2009 
3.4 96.6 
30th June 2007 
8.3 91.7 
 

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Under section 40(2) of the Act we are unable to supply the actual figures or the breakdown by grade, as 
they relate to a small number of staff, which could lead to individuals being identified.  Personal information 
about living individuals is exempt if disclosure to a third party would breach one or more principles of the 
Data Protection Act 1998.  As individuals who work at the BBC do not expect their personnel details to be 
disclosed, to do so would be unfair; therefore, disclosure would breach the First Data Protection Principle, 
fairness. 
 
I hope this response satisfies your request. 
 
 
Your Appeal Rights: 
 
If you are not satisfied with this response you have the right to an internal review by a BBC senior 
manager.  Please contact us at the following address: BBC Freedom of Information, Room 2252, White 
City, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, 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 
 
 
Robert Johnston 
BBC People 
 
 

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