Line to take - LTT73 - BBC America & BBC Worldwide - status

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  • FOI/EIR: FOI
  • Section/Regulation: s6(1)(b)
  • Issue: BBC America & BBC Worldwide - status
  • Source: Decision Notice
  • Details: BBC/ [Redacted name]
  • Related Lines to Take: n/a
  • Related Documents: FS50082246
  • Contact: LA
  • Date: 11/10/2007
  • Policy Reference: LTT73
  • © Copyright Information Commissioner's Office, re-used with permission
  • Original source linked from here: LTT


Line to take

BBC America and BBC Worldwide are not public authorities for the purposes of the Act, as where a public authority is only listed in relation to particular information, then its wholly owned subsidiaries are not caught by the Act.

Further Information

In Decision Notice FS50082246 the status of BBC America and BBC Worldwide in relation to the FOIA was considered.

BBC America is wholly owned by BBC Worldwide Ltd. BBC Worldwide is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC. The BBC is listed in Schedule 1 of the FOIA “in respect of information held for purposes other than those of journalism, art or literature”

Section 6 of the FOIA provides that:

(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.

BBC America is not a publicly owned company for the purposes of section 3(1)(b) as it is wholly owned by BBC Worldwide Ltd, who is not a public authority listed in Schedule 1 of the FOIA.

BBC Worldwide Ltd is also not a publicly owned company for the purposes of section 3(1)(b) as it is wholly owned by the BBC who is only listed in Schedule 1 of the FOIA in relation to particular information.