A.V. Blair via e-mail
[FOI #30924 email]
9 April 2010
Dear Sir/Madam,
Freedom of Information Request - RFI20100403 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 provide me with job descriptions for the following posts which the BBC proposes to close as
part of a restructuring of the BBC World Service Afghan Stream announced 29.06.2009:
•
Features Presenter
•
Translator/Presenter (x2 posts)
•
DJ Afghan Music
Would you also provide the job description for the following post which was not part of the restructuring
proposal:
•
Afghan DJ
Would you also provide the job description for:
•
the post of Producer (Dari Afghan Stream) [vacancy announced 24.07.2009]
•
any other posts/vacancy in the Afghan Stream announced or recruited for since the restructuring
proposal was announced 29.06.2009.
The information you have requested is excluded from the Act because it is held for the purposes of
‘journalism, art or literature.’ Part VI of Schedule 1 to FOIA provides that information held by the BBC and
the other public service broadcasters is only covered by the Act if it is held for ‘purposes
other than those
of journalism, art or literature”. 1 The BBC is not required 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; however, on this occasion we’re happy to provide the below information in response to your
request.
Please note, job descriptions are usually held only for recently advertised roles, therefore these are not
available for all of the roles you have requested. Please find attached the following job descriptions held by
BBC HR Direct Recruitment:
1. Dari Translator/Presenter for Afghan Stream of Persian/Pashto Service
2. Jukebox/Music Producer/ Presenter (Afghan Stream) – the closest match we have for the role of
‘Afghan DJ’
Roles within the Afghan Stream advertised since 29 June 2009:
3. Producer, Dari, Afghan Stream – 10 July 2009
4. Producer, Dari, Afghan Stream - 13 August 2009
5. Broadcast and Online Assistants – 27 October 2009
6. Producers, BBC Pashto/Persian Service (Afghan Stream) – 27 January 2010
7. Producer (Dari) Kabul Office, Afghan Stream – 27 January 2010
8. Producers, BBC Pashto/Persian Service (Afghan Stream) – 25 February 2010
Appeal Rights
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
Please note that should the Information Commissioner’s Office decide that the Act does cover this
information, exemptions under the Act might then apply.
Yours sincerely
Robert Johnston
BBC People
1 For more information about how the Act applies to the BBC please see the enclosure which follows this letter.
Please note that this guidance is not intended to be a comprehensive legal interpretation of how the Act applies to the
BBC.
Freedom of Information
From January 2005 the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives a general right of access to all types of
recorded information held by public authorities. The Act also sets out exemptions from that right and
places a number of obligations on public authorities. The term “public authority” is defined in the Act; it
includes all public bodies and government departments in the UK. The BBC, Channel 4 and S4C are the
only broadcasters covered by the Act.
Application to the BBC
The BBC has a long tradition of making information available and accessible. It seeks to be open and
accountable and already provides the public with a great deal of information about its activities. BBC
Information operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week handling telephone and written comments and
queries, and the BBC’s website bbc.co.uk provides an extensive online information resource.
It is important to bear this in mind when considering the Freedom of Information Act and how it applies to
the BBC. The Act does not apply to the BBC in the way it does to most public authorities in one significant
respect. It recognises the different position of the BBC (as well as Channel 4 and S4C) by saying that it
covers information “held for purposes other than those of journalism, art or literature”. This means the
Act does not apply to information held for the purposes of creating the
BBC’s output (TV, radio, online etc), or information that supports and is closely associated with these
creative activities.
A great deal of information within this category is currently available from the BBC and will continue to be
so. If this is the type of information you are looking for, you can check whether it is available on the BBC’s
website bbc.co.uk or contact BBC Information. The Act does apply to all of the other information we hold
about the management and running of the BBC.
The BBC
The BBC's aim is to enrich people's lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate and
entertain. It broadcasts radio and television programmes on analogue and digital services in the UK. It
delivers interactive services across the web, television and mobile devices. The BBC's online service is
Europe's most widely visited content site. Across the world, the BBC broadcasts radio programmes in 32
languages on the BBC World Service and the 24 hour television service, BBC World News.
The BBC's remit as a public service broadcaster is defined in the BBC Charter and Agreement. It is the
responsibility of the BBC Trust to ensure that the organisation delivers against this remit by setting key
objectives, approving strategy and policy, and monitoring and assessing performance. The Trustees also
safeguard the BBC's independence and ensure the Corporation is accountable to its audiences and to
Parliament. The Trust is supported by a network of advisory bodies across the UK.
Day-to-day operations are run by the Director-General and his senior management team, the Executive
Board. All BBC output in the UK is funded by an annual Licence Fee. This is determined and regularly
reviewed by Parliament. Each year, the BBC publishes an Annual Report & Accounts, and reports to
Parliament on how it has delivered against its public service remit.
