British Broadcasting Corporation Room BC2 A4 Broadcast Centre White City Wood Lane London W12 7TP
Telephone 020 8008 2882 Email xxx@xxx.xx.xx
Information Rights
bbc.co.uk/foi
bbc.co.uk/privacy
A Cameron
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 17 February 2020
Dear A Cameron,
Freedom of Information request – RFI20200079
Thank you for your request to the BBC of 28 January 2020 seeking the fol owing information
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’):
“Please tell me how much the BBC has received in fiunding from the EU, both directly and
indirectly during 2019/20 and advise when the EU funding stream is due to stop, since the
UK will be leaving the EU”
In certain limited circumstances the BBC does, like many other organisations such as central
Government departments and regional government, receive some funding from EU sources.
The BBC has clear obligations to maintain a research and development centre of excel ence
for the benefit of the broadcasting sector as a whole (specifically Clause 87 of the Framework
Agreement). In fulfilling its obligation, the BBC must bear in mind the over-arching principle of
value for money for the licence-fee payer and seek out any additional appropriate sources of
funding. The BBC receives funds from the EU Framework Programme for Research &
Development projects. There is no overlap from these projects to editorial areas such as
BBC News. Instead, the BBC may seek external partners and funding for technology-based
projects based on existing BBC R&D priorities and business needs.
No news programmes are permitted to take external funding and therefore cannot take EU
funding at al , ensuring it cannot impact on editorial decisions. Furthermore, no EU funds are
directly accessed by any in-house BBC productions. In line with its overall editorial
independence, the BBC has in place strict rules to ensure that any external funding it receives
does not diminish the BBC’s editorial control of BBC output nor comprises its editorial
impartiality or integrity. Further information is available in the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines
which are published at the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidelines/external-relationships/ .
The amount provided to the BBC for 2019/20 wil be published here (the link presently
provides information for 2018/2019):
https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=336906714
921-03 We are withholding the information you have requested under section 22 (1) of the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’) because it is intended for future publication. Section 22
states that information is exempt if it is held by a public authority with a view to its
publication, by the authority or any other person, at a 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.
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. A request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of
receiving the BBC’s response to your original request.
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, Tel: 0303 123 1113 or see
https://ico.org.uk/. Yours sincerely,
Information Rights BBC Freedom of Information
BC2 A4, Broadcast Centre
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TP
2
