Organisations and officials with public responsibilities that are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act: Difference between revisions
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==Duchy of Cornwall== | |||
"Under the 1337 charter, and as confirmed by subsequent legislation, The Prince of Wales is not entitled to the proceeds or profit on the sale of assets, and only receives the annual income which they generate, which is voluntarily subject to income tax. Because of the importance of the beneficiary, the Duchy’s ‘trust provisions’ have, over the years, been set out in legislation, with the financial security of the Duchy overseen by HM Treasury." | "Under the 1337 charter, and as confirmed by subsequent legislation, The Prince of Wales is not entitled to the proceeds or profit on the sale of assets, and only receives the annual income which they generate, which is voluntarily subject to income tax. Because of the importance of the beneficiary, the Duchy’s ‘trust provisions’ have, over the years, been set out in legislation, with the financial security of the Duchy overseen by HM Treasury." | ||
Revision as of 20:05, 4 January 2009
List of:
- Organisations which have public responsibilities and/or receive public funding and
- Public Officials
Who are NOT subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the equivalent Act for Scotland.
This list may include certain organisations making use of assets or land owned by the Crown even where they are self-financing and similar organisations.
See also Which organisations are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000?
British Board of Film Classification
The BBFC is an independent, non-governmental body, which has classifies cinema films and videos. (Video Recordings Act in 1984).
Confederation of the Cinque Ports, The
Duchy of Cornwall
"Under the 1337 charter, and as confirmed by subsequent legislation, The Prince of Wales is not entitled to the proceeds or profit on the sale of assets, and only receives the annual income which they generate, which is voluntarily subject to income tax. Because of the importance of the beneficiary, the Duchy’s ‘trust provisions’ have, over the years, been set out in legislation, with the financial security of the Duchy overseen by HM Treasury."
Dutch of Lancashire
"The Duchy's main purpose is to provide income for the Sovereign as Duke of Lancaster, although the Sovereign is not entitled to any of the capital assets of the Duchy. Established over 700 years ago, the Duchy of Lancaster is a body created under Charter."
Electrical Registration Officer
See Returning Officer
High Sheriffs
Contemporary High Sheriffs have few genuine responsibilities and their functions are largely representational they include:
- Proclamation of the accession of a new sovereign.
- They usually act as the Returning Officer for Parliamentary elections in county constituencies and see to the annual appointment of an undersheriff.
- Attendance at the opening ceremony when a High Court Judge goes on circuit.
- Execution of High Court writs.
Housing Associations
Vast majority are not subject to FOI (in theory one could be if it was wholly owned by a local authority). Based on a recent ruling by the Information Commissioner, they are subject to the Environment Information Regulations.
Lord Lieutenants
The modern responsibilities of lord-lieutenants include:
- Arranging visits of members of the Royal family and escorting Royal visitors;
- Presenting medals and awards on behalf of the Sovereign, and advising on Honours nominations;
- Leading the local magistracy as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace; and
- Chairing the local Advisory Committee for the Appointment of the General Commissioners of Income Tax, a tribunal which hears appeals against decisions made by the HM Revenue and Customs on a variety of different tax related matters.
Northern Rock
Currently owned 100% by the Government, but exempt under the terms of the Northern Rock transfer order.
Press Complaints Commission
"The Press Complaints Commission is an independent body which deals with complaints from members of the public about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines."
Publicly Owned Companies
If a company meets one (or more) of the following conditions it will be subject to FOI:
- companies listed in Schedule 1 of the Act
- companies wholly owned by the Crown
- companies wholly owned by one public authority
However there are many companies 100% owned by a number of public authorities that do not meet this definition.
Queen
Head of State and in charge of the British Armed Forces.
Returning Officer
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not list any person appointed under the Representation of the People Act 1983. The Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer or any other person appointed under the Act are not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.[1]
Royal Household
The Royal Household aims to provide exceptional support and advice to The Queen, enabling her to serve the nation and its people.
The Royal Household employs over 1,200 staff.
Port Authorities
Subsidiaries of public authorities "which is listed only in relation to particular information"
This includes any publically owned companies / subsidiaries of the BBC (eg BBC Worldwide),Channel 4, Gaelic Media Service, S4C, or the Bank of England, as these have special "derogations" in the Freedom of Information Act (eg the BBC is only subject to the Act for information that does not fall into the category of journalism, art or literature). This is specified in the Act in Section 6(1)(b)(ii).
Any Publicly-owned companies / subsidiaries of government departments are also excluded from the Act, unless they are specifically listed in Schedule 1 of the Act. There is a list of the centrally owned companies here on the Shareholder Executive's website
Trinity House
The General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Also a Deep Sea Pilotage Authority providing expert navigators for ships trading in Northern European waters.
Verderers
- The Verderers of the Forest of Dean are not subject to the Act.
- The Verderers of the New Forest derive their offices, powers and responsibilities from an Act of Parliament in 1877[2], they were brought into scope of the Freedom of Information Act in 2006. Official Website
Water Companies
These companies have no real competition and provide a vital public service they are subject to Environmental Information Regulations but not to the Freedom of Information Act.
