Links with nuclear weapons

The request was successful.

Dear University of Leeds,

I am writing to request information on what investments the university holds in companies involved with the UK’s nuclear weapons (including but not limited to Lockheed Martin, Alliant Techsystems, ATK, Redhall Group, Babcock International, Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, Jacobs Engineering, and Serco Group).

Please include the following information:

1) A portfolio statement for the fund(s) the university has investments in. If you do not have a copy of this, please send me a list of the names of the fund(s) and the corresponding management companies. Details should be broken down, year-by-year for the last five financial years.

2) Please also confirm if any shares are held in arms companies as part of a pension fund or endowment, either directly or indirectly through an externally managed fund. Details should be broken down, year-by-year for the last five financial years.

3) Does the university have, or is it working towards, an ethical investment policy that excludes nuclear weapons?

Yours faithfully,

Rachel Melly

Tracey Crombie,

Dear Ms Melly

I can confirm receipt of the request below, as your request falls under Freedom of Information, you should expect to hear from the University in response by 12 July 2017, if, in the meantime, you have any queries about the request, please don’t hesitate to Contact Jenny Foggin ([email address]).

Kind regards.

Tracey Crombie
PA to the Legal Adviser
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT
Tel: 0113 343 4078 (NB 8am-4pm)
Fax: 0113 343 3925

This communication is intended solely for the addressee, is strictly confidential and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the addressee please do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it or any attachments. Instead, please contact Tracey Crombie on the above telephone number.

Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting, on any information contained in this email is excluded.

It is the responsibility of the receiver of this email to ensure that any onward transmission or use of this email (including attachments) will not adversely affect their systems or data contained on their systems. Receivers are advised to carry out virus checks. The University of Leeds accepts no responsibility with regard to the communication or other use of this email.

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Jenny Foggin,

Dear Rachel,

I am conscious that the response to this request is due. I can confirm that the University does not have direct investments in the companies listed or, so far as we are able to identify, in companies involved with the UK's nuclear weapons. The University does have endowments which are managed by a third party. The information about these endowments sits with the third party and is not held by us; I have contacted them and requested an up to date statement, which I should receive very shortly.

The University's current policy on socially responsible investment is available on our website:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/secretariat/docum....

I will be in touch again as soon as possible regarding information about the endowments.

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Jenny Foggin,

1 Attachment

Dear Rachel,

Further to my earlier email, I do now have the figures on University endowments, which are attached.

I hope this is helpful in resolving your query. If you have any questions about this email, however, please don't hesitate to contact me.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to or email directly Mr D Wardle, Deputy Secretary, The University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT ([email address]). You should do so within three months of receiving the University’s response to your request. Further information about how the University manages Freedom of Information requests and about our complaints procedure is also available on our website (www.leeds.ac.uk).

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the review/complaints procedure provided by the University. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Best wishes,

Jenny

Jenny Foggin
Senior Governance and Freedom of Information Officer
Legal Adviser’s Office
The University of Leeds
0113 3431155

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