Room 211 
  T: 020 7208 9666 
35 Marylebone High Street 
F: 020 7208 9670 
London W1U 4AA 
bbc.co.uk/bbctrust 
 
 
 
Jane Black 
[FOI #690 email] 
 
 
26 June 2008 
 
 
Dear Ms Black 
 
Freedom of information request – RFI20080621 
 
Thank you for your requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the FOI Act”) dated 9 
June 2008.  You have submitted two requests. The one sent to the BBC’s FOI team (Information 
Policy & Compliance, IPC): 
 
Please note that this is an FOI request to the BBC Trust, not to the BBC Management.  I do not wish 
for any further correspondence on this issue to be handled by BBC Management, or their staff. 
 
Please send me copies of any correspondence, during the past 12 months, between the Chair of the 
BBC Trust to the BBC’s Director General regarding bbc.co.uk and its future strategic direction & 
management.  
 
The other, sent to the BBC Trust requested: 
 
Please send me copies of any correspondence, during the past 12 months, between The Chair of the 
BBC Trust to the BBC's Director General regarding bbc.co.uk and its future strategic direction & 
management. 
 
I do not wish for copies of this freedom of information request to be shared with BBC Management 
or any of their staff. 
 
 
Prior to completing your request for information, we would like to clarify the Freedom of 
Information process within the BBC. 
 
The BBC has a dedicated team – Information Policy & Compliance - which centrally deal with all FOI 
Requests to the BBC, including those relating to the BBC Trust.  There are a number of reasons why 
FOI requests are dealt with in this central manner, the main being that the FOI Act provides no 
distinction between the BBC Trust and BBC Management in its application.  Instead the whole of the 
BBC is designated a Public Authority under the Act (see Schedule 1, Part VI of the FOI Act). IPC 
report to the BBC General Counsel and are part of a BBC Management Division. 

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Handling FOI requests via a central team ensures that all requests are managed and responded to 
within the relevant timeframes, that there is consistency in the BBC’s approach and that requests are 
managed by staff who are FOI specialists.  A central team also minimises the resources required to 
efficiently manage FOI compliance, assisting the effective use of the licence fee. 
 
The Trust Unit, which works solely to the BBC Trust, will oversee handling of the request by IPC. 
As the information also relates to the Director-General, IPC will ensure that his office is aware of 
the request and provides any relevant information. 
 
On the basis that the BBC Trust would be responding to your request in conjunction with 
Information Policy & Compliance team, liaising with the BBC Director-General’s Office, can you 
please confirm whether you would like us to continue processing your FOI request. 
 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
Kate Boyle 
Adviser, BBC Trust 
 
 
 

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