Department for Business, Innovation & Skills homepage
Publication scheme
Each government department has a publication scheme, which makes information available to the public about how it operates and how it spends its budget.
This is the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) publication scheme, drawn up under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The purpose of this publication scheme is to set out:
- classes of information we commit to publish as a matter of course
- how this information will be published
- whether the information is available free of charge or on payment
The publication scheme fulfils the requirements of the Information Commissioner as set out in his model publication scheme for FOI public authorities supported by the Commissioner’s definition document for government departments.
The BIS publication scheme includes the publication scheme of UK Trade & Investment.
About this publication scheme
Unless otherwise specified in this scheme, the classes of information we publish can be found on this website and where stated.
Charges
Most information we publish is free of charge. Any charges that apply are either stated where the publication is listed or given on request for hard copies.
Format and languages
If you would like information in an alternative format, we will take reasonable steps to make the material available. The department does not routinely publish its documents in languages other than English and certain documents in Welsh.
Who we are and what we do
- about BIS
- management team and ministerial team information is on our departmental home page
- organisational structure (see: who we are
- organogram
- special adviser’s meetings with newspaper and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives
- ministerial meetings with external organisations
- permanent secretary meetings with external organisations
- our policy pages contain information on legislation relevant to the department’s functions.
- see Legislation.gov.uk for enacted and revised versions of legislation.
- the BIS entry on Departments, agencies & public bodies includes links to the 9 executive agencies and the wide range of delivery partners that help BIS to achieve its strategic priorities.
- our departmental home page includes contact details
What we spend and how we spend it
- annual reports and accounts
- business plan
- gifts, hospitality and travel expenditure for the ministerial team
- gifts, hospitality and travel expenditure for the management team
- gifts, meetings, hospitality and travel expenditure for the special advisers
- BIS monthly spend
- senior staff posts and pay details
- junior staff numbers and pay scales
- workforce data
- names of special advisers, appointing minister and salaries of those earning £58,200 and above
- procurement at BIS
- Contracts Finder, the government portal for tendering opportunities provides documentation for all procurements valued at over £10,000.
What our priorities are and how we are doing
- BIS’s 2012 to 2015 business plan details the department’s priorities for delivery under the coalition government.
- structural reform plan - monthly updates on our performance against the structural reform plan, part of the BIS business plan
- energy use
- annual reports
- impact assessments
- impact assessments are also listed within individual consultations
- statistics
How we make decisions
- our policy pages provide an overview of our main policy proposals and decisions.
- all final stage and equality impact assessments are available on our publication pages or are listed within individual consultations
- analysis and statistics
- the consultations page provides information about the department’s current policy proposals
- white papers published by BIS can be identified in our publications pages by searching for ‘white paper in the free-text search facility
- guide to making legislative reform orders for policy officials
- changes to impact assessment and regulatory policy committee scrutiny: quick start guide for policy makers
- common commencement dates: a guide for policy-makers
- reducing the impact of regulation on business
- BIS has standard terms and conditions of contract for services (GPF 04)
Our policies and procedures
- complaints procedure
- our personal information charter explains how we treat your personal data
- our delivery partners help us to deliver the department’s strategic priorities.
- Civil Service Code
- working for BIS
- equality and workforce data
Lists and registers
- you can view the list of recent information releases under the FOI Act
- BIS FOI/EIR information releases prior to October 2012 can be accessed via the Government Web Archive.
- the department publishes quarterly data on overseas travel expenses and the gifts and hospitality received by ministers and senior staff. Gifts and hospitality received by special advisers is also available.
- list of overseas travel undertaken by cabinet ministers from 1997 - 2009 and all ministers from 2007 - 2009
- list of ministerial gifts given and received from 2001- 2009
- register of Lords’ Interests
- House of Commons Register of Member’s Financial Interests
The services we offer
- our policy pages contain details on our services and initiatives
- delivering on BIS strategic priorities and services to public authorities via our delivery partners
- guidance on exporting goods
- Constructionline is the UK’s largest register of local and national pre-qualified construction and construction-related services
- the Manufacturing Advisory Service aims to address the practical needs of British manufacturers
- publications
- announcements
- ministerial speeches
Open Data and Datasets
The BIS Open Data Strategy sets out the context and background to our drive to greater transparency and open data.
Datasets published by BIS can be found on data.gov.uk
Requesting information
If you cannot find what you want through this scheme, or otherwise on our website, you may make a request to us under the FOI Act or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).
If you would like to request information under the FOI Act or EIR please email your request to foi.requests@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Alternatively you can write to us at:
Information Rights Unit
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
1 Victoria Street,
London SW1H OET
Please be specific about the information you want, as this will help us to find it for you.
Feedback and complaints about the scheme
We want our publication scheme to meet the needs of our customers and stakeholders. Suggestions for particular classes of information to which we might in future commit to publishing under the scheme will be welcomed. Any comments on or complaints about the scheme should be sent to the Information Rights Unit at the contact details above.