FOIA Section 6
- For Scotland, see FOISA Section 6 - Wholly owned companies
6. Publicly-owned companies.
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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.
There are various sources of company membership information.
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)
- Deposits Management (Heritable) Limited (06690442) (art. 41, SI 2008/2644)
By virtue of section 6(1)(b)(ii), subsidiaries of schedule I authorities that are only listed in respect of particular information are not public authorities themselves.
Companies wholly owned by the Crown
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
- British Nuclear Fuels Limited (05027024)
- Capital for Enterprise Limited (06179047)
- Royal Mail Holdings plc (04074919) [holding company]
Ministry of Defence
- Admiralty Holdings Limited (04561727) [holding company]
- Admiralty Deutschland GmbH [holding company]
- Ploughshare Innovations Ltd (04401901)
Department for Education
Department of Energy and Climate Change
- Enrichment Holdings Ltd. (06387705) [holding company]
- NNL Holdings Limited (06859180) [holding company]
Department for Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department of Health
Home Office
Department for International Development
Department for Regional Development (NI)
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]
- Directly Operated Railways Limited (06950819)
- High Speed Two (HS2) Limited (06791686)
- London & Continental Railways Limited (02966054)
- CTRL (UK) Limited (03578740)
HM Treasury
- UK Financial Investments Limited (06720891)
- UK Asset Resolution Limited (not on the main list) (07301961)
Northern Ireland
- The Northern Ireland Events Company Limited (NI032391)
- Strategic Investment Board Limited (NI045710)
Companies wholly owned by other schedule 1 authorities
Local government
Blackpool Borough Council
Cardiff Council
- Cardiff Business Technology Centre Limited (02074331)
- Cardiff City Transport Services Limited (02001229)
Devon County Council
- NPS South West Limited (06078903) [jointly with NPS Property Consultants Limited] [2011 annual return]
East Cambridgeshire District Council
Enfield Borough Council
- Enfield Norse Limited (06833446) [jointly with Norse Commercial Services Limited]
Essex Fire Authority
Halton Borough Council
Ipswich Borough Council
Manchester City Council
- The Manchester Concert Hall Limited (02913221)
- The Manchester Airport Group plc (04330721) [jointly with Bolton, Bury, Stockport, Tameside, Rochdale, Trafford, Wigan, and Oldham Borough Councils, and Salford City Council] [2010 annual return]
- Manchester Airport plc (01960988) [2009 annual return]
Newport Council
Norfolk County Council
- Norse Group Limited (05694657) [holding company]
- Norfolk Environmental Waste Services Limited (02633546)
- Norse Commercial Services Limited (02888808)
- GYB Services Limited (04897142)
- Enfield Norse Limited (06833446) [jointly with Enfield Borough Council]
- Waveney Norse Limited (06600996) [jointly with Waveney District Council]
- Suffolk Coastal Services Limited (05124558) [jointly with Suffolk Coastal District Council]
- NPS Property Consultants Limited (02888194) [2011 annual return]
- [1], but all probably need checking
- NPS North West Limited (05026630) [2011 annual return]
- NPS North East Limited (05200508) [2010 annual return]
- NPS Stockport Limited (05908012) [jointly with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council] [2010 annual return]
- NPS London Limited (06078945) [jointly with the London Borough of Waltham Forest] [2011 annual return]
- NPS South West Limited (06078903) [jointly with Devon County Council] [2011 annual return]
- NPS Humber Limited (06615072) [jointly with Hull City Council] [2010 annual return]
- NPS Group Limited (06614601) [2010 annual return]
- NPS South East Limited (06615007) [2010 annual return]
- NPS Barnsley Limited (07378589) [jointly with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council?]
- John Packer Associates Limited (03434497) [2010 annual return]
- Robson Liddle Limited (03240492) [2010 annual return]
- Barron and Smith Limited (06547225) [2011 annual return]
- HAMSON Partnership Limited (02504525) [2010 annual return]
- Norse Care Limited (07445484) [2]
North Yorkshire County Council
- Veritau Ltd (06794890) [jointly with York City Council]
Plymouth City Council
Reading Borough Council
Rossendale Borough Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
- Solutions SK Limited (05844684)
- Individual Solutions SK Limited (06917727)
- Waste Solutions SK Limited (06023503)
- NPS Stockport Limited (05908012) [jointly with NPS Property Consultants Limited] [2010 annual return]
Suffolk Coastal District Council
- Suffolk Coastal Services Limited (05124558) [jointly with Norse Commercial Services Limited]
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)
- Transport for London Finance Limited (06745516)
- Tube Lines (Holdings) Limited (04328016) [holding company]
- Tube Lines Limited (03923425)
- Tube Lines (Finance) plc (05106434)
- Tube Lines Pension Scheme Trustees Limited (05024749)
- UIC Transport (JNP) Limited (04328683)
- Victoria Coach Station Limited (00205610)
Warrington Borough Council
Waveney District Council
- Waveney Norse Limited (06600996) [jointly with Norse Commercial Services Limited]
York City Council
- Veritau Ltd (06794890) [jointly with North Yorkshire County Council]
Educational institutions
Bangor University
- Centre for Advanced Software Technology Limited (04473521)
- Industrial Development Bangor (UWB) Limited (01349287)
- North West Wales Management Development Centre Limited (05473157)
Guildford College
- Guildford Consultancy and Training Limited (02802189) [dormant]
- Guildford Direct Limited (04089913) [dormant]
- Merrist Wood Enterprises Limited (03192400)
University of Cambridge
- Cambridge Enterprise Limited (01069886)
- (Cambridge Investment Ltd.) (06484697)
- IFM Education and Consultancy Services Limited (03486934)
- Cambridge Investment Management Limited (06907395)
- Cambridge Program for Sustainability Leadership (Australia) [incorporated in Australia]
- Cambridge University Technical Services Limited (05749230)
- The Challenge Fund Trading Company Limited (03878072)
- Fitzwilliam Museum (Enterprises) Limited (01375977)
- JBS Executive Education Limited (05908393)
- Lynxvale Limited (not on the main list) (02424721)
- Cambridge Assessment Overseas Limited (06265255)
- Cambridge Examinations, Inc. [incorporated in the USA]
- Fundacion UCLES
- Mill Wharf Limited (not on the main list) (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 Archive Editions Limited (03164415)
- 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]
- Editorial Edicambridge Cia Ltda [incorporated in Ecuador]
- ELT Trading SA DE CV [incorporated in Mexico]
- United Publishers Services Limited [incorporated in Hong Kong]
Christ's College, Cambridge
- Christ's College Enterprises Limited (04751229)
Churchill College, Cambridge
- Churchill Conferences Limited (not on the main list) (02843117)
- Churchill Residences II Limited (not on the main list) (03800360)
- The Møller Centre for Continuing Education Limited (not on the main list) (02746545)
Downing College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
- Broomfield Forest Limited (03393505)
- TrinDev Limited (04454532)
- Trinity College (CSP) Limited (03393539)
- Walton Farms Limited (01324706)
University of Durham
- Durham University Conference and Tourism Limited (03008538)
- Mountjoy Research Company Limited (02723759)
University of East London
Leeds City College
University of Manchester
- The University of Manchester Incubator Company Limited (05177411)
- The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (05177409)
University of Oxford
- The Gray Laboratory Cancer Research Trust (03020745)
- Isis Innovation Limited (02199542)
- Oxford Limited (02503801)
- Oxford University Farm and Woodland Limited (01605550)
- Oxford University Fixed Assets Limited (02219889)
- Voltaire Foundation Limited (02944166)
University of Warwick
- Research-TV Limited (02787728)
- Warwick Conferences Limited (02335231)
- Warwick University Training Limited (02446501)
Other: general
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
- Horticultural Development Company Limited (06371686) [dormant]
- EBLEX Limited (06539528) [dormant]
- DairyCo Limited (06408727)
- BPEX Limited (06539520) [dormant]
- Potato Council Limited (06410734) [dormant]
- Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Limited (03687054)
- Crop Evaluation Limited (04081213)
- Sutton Bridge Experimental Unit Limited (02966113)
- Milk Development Council Holdings Limited (04147176) [holding company]
- Milk Development Council Evaluations Limited (04279778)
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]
Civil Aviation Authority
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]
Companies worth investigating
- Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited (01167127) [maybe jointly owned by the university sector?]
- The Universities and Colleges Employers' Association (02914327)
- The Russell Group of Universities (06086902)
Companies not covered
Obviously, it would be silly to list every company that's not publicly owned here. This is for companies that look like they might be publicly owned, but turn out not to be.
- Office of Intercollegiate Services Limited (06960729) [members include theological colleges that (probably) aren't public authorities] [private communication, 2011]
- The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (02155347) [members are the board of governers] [ 2010 accounts, p16]
- Learning and Skills Network (05728105) [members are the board of trustees] [ 2010 accounts, p3]
- Reading College (07253475) [jointly with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College]
- The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (02839815) [members are participating institutions, including Scottish and private ones] [ 2010 accounts, p21]
- Universities UK (02517018) [members are VCs of UK Universities, including Scottish and private ones] [ 2009 accounts, p3 and [3] ]
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