Impartiality v Political interference
Dear British Broadcasting Corporation,
Please provide copies of all communication between the BBC and any of the following listed below relating to Richard Sharp, BBC chair, facilitating a loan guarantee for Boris Johnson:
- Government Ministers
- Civil servants
- Conservative Party officials
Yours faithfully,
David Hyett
Dear David Hyett,
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as detailed in your email below. Your request was received on 11 March 2023. We will deal with your request as promptly as possible, and at the latest within 20 working days. If you have any queries about your request, please contact us at the address below.
The reference number for your request is RFI20230354.
Kind regards,
Information Rights
BBC Freedom of Information
BBC Legal
1st Floor, BBC Wogan House,
99 Great Portland Street
London
W1W 7NY
www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: [email address]
Dear Mr Hyett,
Please find attached our response to your request for information,
reference RFI20230354.
Yours sincerely
BBC Information Rights
Website: [1]www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: [2]mailto:[email address]
[3]Description: Description: \\BBCFS2025\UserData$\myrien01\Documents\My
Pictures\BBC.png
References
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2. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Dear FOI Enquiries,
Thank you for your response.
I would draw your attention to Randall v Information Commissioner and Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (EA/2006/004 , 30 October 2007) which states that a reasonable estimate is required to support the application of Section 12. A reasonable estimate is one that is "…sensible , realistic and supported by cogent evidence". ICO guidance on Requests where the cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate limit sets out what might constitute cogent evidence. Please can you therefore provide evidence to support your decision to invoke Section 12.
Yours sincerely,
David Hyett
Dear David Hyett
I refer to your request for a FOI internal review below (IR2023019).
This email is to advise that your internal review is progressing; however due to resource constraints, 40 working days will be required to complete this review. The response will therefore be due by 8 June 2023. If it is possible to provide a response sooner, we will of course do so. We thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards
Information Rights, BBC Legal
Address: First Floor | Wogan House | 99 Great Portland Street | London | W1W 7NY
Dear Mr Hyett
I refer to your request for a FOIA internal review (ref: IR2023019).
Please find the BBC’s response attached.
Kind regards
Information Rights, BBC Legal
Address: First Floor | Wogan House | 99 Great Portland Street | London |
W1W 7NY
References
Visible links
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Dear FOI Enquiries,
Thank you for your response. I did not narrow the search down when I requested an internal review as the issue had moved on by that point.
I acknowledge that you have met your requirements under section 16 of the FOI Act. However I remain unconvinced about the evidence provided to support the application of Section 12. The argument appears mainly to be based on the fact that the "BBC is a large organisation, and there is no single route for correspondence", which could be interpreted as you do not know where the information is held. You may wish to consult the ICO section 46 code of practice on records management.
Yours sincerely,
David Hyett
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