Information Commissioner's Office

BBC

10 March 2008, Other

The complainant submitted two requests asking for copies of Alan Yentob’s charge card statement and an itemised breakdown of his expense claims for the period 2001 to 2004. The BBC provided some information in response to both requests, but withheld details of certain payments on the basis that these payments related to activities falling outside the scope of the Act. The BBC also withheld details of some payments contained on the charge card on the basis of section 40 because they related to Mr Yentob’s personal expenditure. The Commissioner has concluded that all of the information covered by the requests falls within the scope of the Act. However, the Commissioner accepts that the payments concerning Mr Yentob’s personal expenditure are exempt on the basis of section 40. The Commissioner has also concluded that names of the third parties included on the expense claims are exempt on the basis of section 40. However, the Commissioner does not accept that disclosure of the other details of each payment (namely the amount of the claim, the date of the claim and a brief description of the claim) are exempt on the basis of section 43 and therefore these must be disclosed to the complainant.

FOI 1: Upheld