FOIA Section 6

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For Scotland, see FOISA Section 6 - Wholly owned companies
6. Publicly-owned companies.
(1) A company is a “publicly-owned company” for the purposes of section 3(1)(b) if—
(a) it is wholly owned by the Crown, or
(b) it is wholly owned by any public authority listed in Schedule 1 other than—
(i) a government department, or
(ii) any authority which is listed only in relation to particular information.
(2) For the purposes of this section—
(a) a company is wholly owned by the Crown if it has no members except—
(i) Ministers of the Crown, government departments or companies wholly owned by the Crown, or
(ii) persons acting on behalf of Ministers of the Crown, government departments or companies wholly owned by the Crown, and
(b)a company is wholly owned by a public authority other than a government department if it has no members except—
(i) that public authority or companies wholly owned by that public authority, or
(ii) persons acting on behalf of that public authority or of companies wholly owned by that public authority.
(3) In this section—
“company” includes any body corporate;
“Minister of the Crown” includes a Northern Ireland Minister.
Statutelaw.gov.uk.


This section makes some but not all companies in public ownership subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

The definitions of "wholly owned" here are substantially the same as the definitions of "wholly-owned subsidiary" in the Companies Acts.

The Information Commissioner has produced guidance on the interpretation of section 6. In particular, he is of the opinion that section 6 deos not cover a company jointly owned by two schedule I authorities. This disagrees with the Scottish Information Commissioner's interpretation of the equivalent section of the Scottish Act.

Until recently, a company had to have at least two members, so a lot of publicly-owned companies have one share held on behalf of the parent authority by its chief executive or similar.

Various companies wholly owned by the Crown are deemed not to be publicly-owned companies for the purposes of section 3(1)(b), including:

  • Bradford & Bingley plc (03938288) and subsidiaries (art. 41, SI 2008/2546)
  • Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc (03273685) and subsidiaries (art. 18, SI 2008/432)
  • Northern Rock plc (06952311) and group undertakings (art. 19, SI 2009/3226)

By virtue of section 6(1)(b)(ii), subsidiaries of schedule I authorities that are only listed in respect of particular information are nut public authorities themselves. This means that subsidiaries of the following are not public authorities by virtue of section 6:

  • The House of Commons
  • The House of Lords
  • The National Assembly for Wales
  • The Common Council of the City of London
  • The Sub-Treasurer of the Inner Temple
  • The Under-Treasurer of the Middle Temple
  • Any person providing primary medical services, primary dental services or primary ophthalmic services
  • Any person providing general ophthalmic services or pharmaceutical services
  • Any person providing local pharmaceutical services
  • Any person providing primary medical services, general dental services, general ophthalmic services or pharmaceutical services
  • Any person who by virtue of any enactment has the function of nominating individuals who may be appointed as special constable
  • The Bank of England
  • The British Broadcasting Corporation
  • The Channel Four Television Corporation
  • The Competition Commission
  • The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
  • The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
  • Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gaidhlig / The Gaelic Media Service
  • Sianel Pedwar Cymru / S4C
  • The Traffic Commissioners
  • The verderers of the New Forest
  • The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland

Contents

[edit] Companies wholly owned by the Crown

[edit] Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

[edit] Ministry of Defence

  • Admiralty Holdings Limited (04561727) [holding company]
  • Admiralty Deutschland GmbH [holding company]
    • SevenCs GmbH
    • ChartWorld GmbH
  • Ploughshare Innovations Ltd (04401901)

[edit] Department of Energy and Climate Change

[edit] Department for Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs

[edit] Department of Health

[edit] Home Office

[edit] Department for International Development

[edit] Department for Regional Development (NI)

[edit] Department for Transport

  • BRB (Residuary) Limited (04146505)
    • South Eastern Trains Limited (03666306)
    • Whittles Properties Liverpool Limited (06798467)
    • Whittles Properties Trent and Derwent Limited (06814955)
    • Whittles Properties Brunel Limited (06815148)
    • Whittles Properties Crewe Limited (06815151)
    • Whittles Properties Croydon Limited (06815154)
    • Whittles Properties Manchester Limited (06815134)
    • British Rail Engineering Limited (00965219) [dormant]
    • RFD (Channel Tunnel) Limited (01014180) [dormant]
    • British Transport Hotels Limited (00735306) [dormant]
    • The Pullman Car Company Limited (00141798) [dormant]
    • British Rail Limited (03159175) [dormant]
    • British Railways Limited (03019758) [dormant]
    • British Railways Board Limited (03159054) [dormant]
    • DOA Limited (03168642) [dormant]
    • Diesel Trains Limited (06829571) [dormant]
    • Passgift Limited (03000807) [in liquidation]
    • Holaw (458) Limited (03645369) [in liquidation]
    • Reefstem Limited (03657789) [in liquidation]
    • Ridgedrum Limited (03548488) [in liquidation]
    • Holaw (473) Limited (03668684) [in liquidation]
    • Manorsign Limited (04156412) [in liquidation]
  • Directly Operated Railways Limited (06950819)
    • East Coast Main Line Company Limited (04659708)
  • High Speed Two (HS2) Limited (06791686)
  • London & Continental Railways Limited (02966054)

[edit] HM Treasury

[edit] Northern Ireland

[edit] Companies wholly owned by other schedule 1 authorities

[edit] Local government

[edit] Blackpool Borough Council

[edit] Cardiff Council

[edit] East Cambridgeshire District Council

  • East Cambridgeshire Business Centres Limited (03819801)

[edit] Halton Borough Council

[edit] Ipswich Borough Council

[edit] Newport Council

[edit] Norfolk County Council

[edit] Plymouth City Council

[edit] Reading Borough Council

[edit] Rossendale Borough Council

[edit] Transport for London

TfL has a useful list of subsidiaries here.

  • London Transport Insurance Guernsey Limited (28442) [incorporated in Guernsey]]
  • TfL Trustee Company Limited (02338675)
  • Transport Trading Limited (03914810)
    • Crossrail Limited (04212657)
    • Docklands Light Railway Limited (02052677)
    • London Buses Limited (01900906)
    • London Bus Services Limited (03914787)
      • London Dial-a-Ride Limited (02602192) [dormant]
    • London River Services Limited (03485723)
    • London Transport Museum Limited (06495761)
      • London Transport Museum (Trading) Limited (06527755)
    • London Underground Limited (01900907)
    • LUL Nominee BCV Limited (06221959)
      • Metronet TMU Limited (03211465) [dormant]
    • LUL Nominee SSL Limited (06242508)
      • Metronet REW Limited (03211492) [dormant]
    • Rail for London Limited (05965930)
    • Tramtrack Croydon Limited (03092613)
      • Tramtrack Lease Financing Limited (04439273)
      • Tramtrack Leasing Limited (03255005)
    • Transport for London Finance Limited (06745516)
    • Victoria Coach Station Limited (00205610)

[edit] Stockport Borough Council

  • Solutions SK Limited (05844684)
  • Individual Solutions SK Limited (06917727)
  • Waste Solutions SK Limited (06023503)

[edit] Warrington Borough Council

[edit] Educational institutions

[edit] Bangor University

[edit] Guildford College

  • Guildford Consultancy and Training Limited (02802189) [dormant]
  • Guildford Direct Limited (04089913) [dormant]
  • Merrist Wood Enterprises Limited (03192400)

[edit] University of Cambridge

  • Cambridge Examinations, Inc. [incorporated in the USA]
  • Mill Wharf Limited (02783745)
  • Oxford and Cambridge International Assessment Services Limited (01838486)
  • Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (02424721)
  • RSA Examinations Board (02808087)
  • Sandonian Properties Limited (02601758)
  • The West Midlands Examinations Board (01464835)
  • Cambridge Global Grid for Learning Limited (04691393)
  • Cambridge Knowledge (China) Limited [incorporated in Hong Kong]
  • Cambridge Printing Services Limited (05846590)
  • Cambridge University Press (Greece) EPE [incorporated in Greece]
  • Cambridge University Press (Holdings) Limited (04606950) [holding company]
  • Cambridge University Press Japan KK [incorporated in Japan]
  • Cambridge University Press South Africa (Proprietary) Limited [incorporated in South Africa]
  • ELT Trading SA DE CV [incorporated in Mexico]
  • United Publishers Services Limited [incorporated in Hong Kong]

[edit] Christ's College, Cambridge

  • Christ's College Enterprises Limited (04751229)

[edit] Churchill College, Cambridge

  • Churchill Conferences Limited (02843117)
  • Churchill Residences II Limited (03800360)
  • The Møller Centre for Continuing Education Limited (02746545)

[edit] Downing College, Cambridge

  • Downing Cambridge Conferences Limited (06199733)
  • Downing College Developments Limited (03698474)

[edit] Emmanuel College, Cambridge

  • Blue Lion Limited (02772480)
  • Evansgate Limited (01497911)

[edit] University of Durham

[edit] University of East London

[edit] University of Manchester

[edit] University of Oxford

[edit] University of Warwick

[edit] Other: general

[edit] Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

[edit] British Waterways Board

  • Blackwall Estates Limited (01856738)
  • British Waterways Marinas Limited (04930453)
  • British Waterways Pension Trustees Limited (01852161)
  • Granary Wharf Limited (03596438) [dormant]
  • Leeds Canal Basin (Developments) Limited (02116097) [dormant]
  • Wood Wharf Management Company Limited (01660938)
  • BW Reinsurance Ltd [incorporated in Ireland]

[edit] Civil Aviation Authority

[edit] Horserace Totalisator Board

  • Tote Bookmakers Limited
  • Tote Credit Limited
  • Tote Direct Limited
  • Totesport Alderney Limited [incorporated in Alderney]

[edit] Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

  • Direct Rail Services Limited (03020822)
  • International Nuclear Services Limited (01144352)
    • International Nuclear Services France SA [incorporated in France]
    • International Nuclear Services Japan KK [incorporated in Japan]
  • Rutherford Indemnity Limited [incorporated in Guernsey]
  • United Kingdom Nirex Limited (01927761) [in liquidation]
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