Riposte

The BBC - which has put its FOI publication promises into abeyance for over a year, apparently waiting for a new website - has released some stats on the number of requests it gets.

In 2010, there were 1743; in 2011, 1610, and in 2012, the BBC's "annus horribilis", a surprisingly low 999. This year there's been a spurt, with the first two months clocking up 339, with plenty about Archers' messageboard closure, James Purnell's appointment, and some regulars about the Cornish language. 

In other disclosures, the BBC has revealed that four people qualified as lawyers form part of the BBC FOI/Data Protection Scheme team. They are presumably helping with niggardly answers to questions cf this recent exchange.... 

Q :  The total number of lawyers employed by the BBC in all departments on the last day of each month in the year 2012 ?

A:  Lawyers can be employed in a large number of departments across the BBC, and do not all sit in the BBC Legal Department. Furthermore, it is quite possible for a Lawyer not to have the word ‘Lawyer’ in their job title (as is the case of the four Lawyers currently working in the Information Policy & Compliance Team). I therefore estimate that to deal with your request would take more than two and a half days; under section 12 of the Act, we are allowed to refuse to handle the request if it would exceed the appropriate limit. The appropriate limit has been set by the Regulations (SI 2004/3244) as being £450 (equivalent to two and a half days work, at an hourly rate of £25).