Freedom of Information Act 2000

6 Publicly-owned companies. U.K.

(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, F1 ...

(b) it is wholly owned by [F2 the wider public sector] [F3 , or

(c) it is wholly owned by the Crown and the wider public sector.]

[F4 (2) For the purposes of this section—

(a) a company is wholly owned by the Crown if, and only if, every member is a person falling within sub-paragraph (i) or (ii)—

(i) a Minister of the Crown, government department or company wholly owned by the Crown, or

(ii) a person acting on behalf of a Minister of the Crown, government department or company wholly owned by the Crown,

(b) a company is wholly owned by the wider public sector if, and only if, every member is a person falling within sub-paragraph (i) or (ii)—

(i) a relevant public authority or a company wholly owned by the wider public sector, or

(ii) a person acting on behalf of a relevant public authority or of a company wholly owned by the wider public sector, and

(c) a company is wholly owned by the Crown and the wider public sector if, and only if, condition A, B or C is met.

(2A) In subsection (2)(c)—

(a) condition A is met if—

(i) at least one member is a person falling within subsection (2)(a)(i) or (ii),

(ii) at least one member is a person falling within subsection (2)(b)(i) or (ii), and

(iii) every member is a person falling within subsection (2)(a)(i) or (ii) or (b)(i) or (ii),

(b) condition B is met if—

(i) at least one member is a person falling within subsection (2)(a)(i) or (ii) or (b)(i) or (ii),

(ii) at least one member is a company wholly owned by the Crown and the wider public sector, and

(iii) every member is a person falling within subsection (2)(a)(i) or (ii) or (b)(i) or (ii) or a company wholly owned by the Crown and the wider public sector, and

(c) condition C is met if every member is a company wholly owned by the Crown and the wider public sector.]

(3) In this section—

• “company” includes any body corporate;

• “Minister of the Crown” includes a Northern Ireland Minister.

• [F5 “ relevant public authority ” means any public authority listed in Schedule 1 other than—

  a government department, or

  any authority which is listed only in relation to particular information]

Textual Amendments

F1 Word in s. 6(1)(a) repealed (1.9.2013) by Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (c. 9), ss. 103(2)(a), 120, Sch. 10 Pt. 7 (with s. 97); S.I. 2013/1906, art. 3(b)

F2 Words in s. 6(1)(b) substituted (1.9.2013) by Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (c. 9), ss. 103(2)(b), 120 (with s. 97); S.I. 2013/1906, art. 3(b)

F3 S. 6(1)(c) and word inserted (1.9.2013) by Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (c. 9), ss. 103(2)(c), 120 (with s. 97); S.I. 2013/1906, art. 3(b)

F4 S. 6(2)(2A) substituted for s. 6(2) (1.9.2013) by Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (c. 9), ss. 103(3), 120 (with s. 97); S.I. 2013/1906, art. 3(b)

F5 Words in s. 6(3) inserted (1.9.2013) by Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (c. 9), ss. 103(4), 120 (with s. 97); S.I. 2013/1906, art. 3(b)