Complaints

If you are not satisfied with the help offered to access information within the BBC's Publication Scheme you should contact;

BBC Information & Compliance Manager
Room 2252
White City
201 Wood Lane
London
W12 7TQ

Email us
Telephone: 020 800 82883

Internal Review

If you make a request under the Freedom of Information Act and you are not satisfied with our response, you are entitled to an internal review where we have made a decision under Part 1 of the Act. For example, an internal reviewer might review the BBC's decision to withhold information under a particular exemption.

If you have made an FOI request and believe you are entitled to an internal review, please either e-mail or write to us at the address below. Please include your name, address (including e-mail address) and the unique reference number given to your individual request. Please explain what you would like us to review of our original response.

BBC Freedom of Information
Room 2252
White City
201 Wood Lane
London
W12 7TQ

Email us
Telephone: 020 800 82883

A senior manager or legal advisor who was not involved in the original request will carry out the internal review. We aim to handle a majority of internal reviews within 20 working days. However, if the internal review involves complex issues that require further investigation, and those that require additional consideration of the public interest test, we aim to handle these within 30 working days.

The BBC does not offer an internal review in certain circumstances;

• Schedule 1 of the Act states that the BBC is covered in respect of information 'held for the purposes other than those of journalism, art or literature'. Where we do not disclose information as we believe it not to be covered by the scope of the Act we will not offer an internal review. However, under these circumstances, if you do not agree with the BBC's decision you may raise the issue directly with the Information Commissioner's Office.
• If a decision to withhold information is made using section 36 of the Act (free and frank discussions/advice, prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs) that decision will have been taken by the Chairman of the BBC Trust, the Vice-Chairman or another member of the BBC Trust. In these circumstances and in certain cases where there is no-one of sufficient seniority to review the decision, it is not possible to offer an internal review.

Information Commissioner

If you are dissatisfied with the internal review of our decision, or when an internal review was not available, you can seek an appeal from the Information Commissioner's Office by writing to;

The Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Alternatively, visit the Information Commissioners website.