This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Planed Visits'.


 
 
09 May 2014 
 
 
 
Dear Mr Fitzgibbons, 
The initial response to your request for information explained why it was outside the scope of the Freedom of 
Information Act. 
On further review the position of Canal & River Trust continues to be that the information you requested is 
not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The reasoning is the same as in the initial response but is set 
out below in fuller form. 
1.  Canal & River Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee that is not owned or controlled by 
any public body. Accordingly it is not a “publicly owned company” within the meaning of s.6 Freedom 
of Information Act 2000.  Furthermore, Canal & River is not a body listed in Schedule 1 of the 2000 
Act on an unlimited basis (unlike public authorities) and is therefore not subject to the Freedom of 
Information Act for the generality of its activities.  That includes its general administration and 
organisational management and the general conduct of its business.  Thus in that context Canal & 
River Trust is in the same position as other charities independent from government. 
2.  Canal & River Trust is however also a statutory undertaker and for a limited range of its activities it 
derives its powers from statutory functions transferred to it from the British Waterways Board by the 
British Waterways Board (Transfer of Functions) Order 2012.  That Order only transferred a limited 
range of the statutory functions formerly held by the British Waterways Board.  These are described 
in Article 2 of the 2012 Order and, so far as they derive from public legislation, are set out in 
Schedule 1 to the Order.  The generic constitutional, administrative and organisational management 
functions of British Waterways that were derived from statute were not transferred to Canal & River 
Trust1.  
3.  As explained in the initial response, it was the decision of government that, subject to any future 
review of freedom of information legislation generally, Canal & River Trust should be treated by and 
large in the same way as other charities as far as freedom of information legislation is concerned.  
Thus for the generality of its activities Canal & River Trust is not subject to freedom of information 
legislation.  
4.  Government did however decide that where Canal & River Trust exercised statutory functions 
previously exercised by the British Waterways Board that were transferred to the Trust under the 
2012 Transfer Order, information concerning the exercise of those functions should be subject to the 
Freedom of Information Act 2000.  Accordingly Article 2(3) and Schedule 3 of the 2012 Transfer 
                                                      
1 For example, the generic corporate powers conferred on the British Waterways Board by sections 1 and 10 to 14; and also the generic 
reporting and accounting duties in sections 18 to 25 were not transferred to Canal & River Trust.  Canal & River Trust derives its generic 
corporate powers from its constitution as a company limited by guarantee and not from exercising statutory functions transferred to it 
from the British Waterways Board. 
Canal & River Trust  First Floor North  Station House  500 Elder Gate  Milton Keynes  MK9 1BB 
T  0303 040 4040  E  xxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx  www.canalrivertrust.org.uk 
Patron: H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Canal & River Trust, a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales 
with company number 7807276 and registered charity number 1146792, registered office address First Floor North, Station House, 500 
Elder Gate, Milton Keynes  MK9 1BB 
  

Order amended the Freedom of Information Act 2000 by inserting the following into Part 6 of 
Schedule 1 of the 2000 Act: 
“Canal & River Trust, in respect of information held by it relating to functions exercisable by it 
by virtue of the British Waterways Board (Transfer of Functions) Order 2012 (S.I. 
2012/1659).” 

5.  I reiterate that the functions exercisable by virtue of the Transfer Order are those described in Article 
2 of the 2012 Order and set out in Schedule 1 to that Order. Those functions do not include the 
administration and management of the organisation generally, this includes the details of any of 
previous and future planned visits made by the various boater representatives.  In that, Canal & 
River Trust is no different to any other charity.   
The above numbered paragraphs are the reasons why Canal & River Trust considers your request for 
information is outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act.  However, and as I mentioned in my first 
response, the contact details for the boating representatives are all listed on the Boaters' Update article you 
refer to (http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/features/boaters-update#anch:future ) and you would 
be welcome to ask each of them if they have any visits planned. Alternatively you could contact Damian 
Kemp, our Boating Consultations and Communications Manager.  
Yours sincerely, 
Sarina Young 
Customer Services Co-Ordinator 
 
 
 
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