Publication scheme

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Our publication scheme specifies the categories of information that we publish and explains how to obtain that information.

Most of the information covered by our publication scheme will be made available on this website

    Information you can find on our website

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    Who we are and what we do:

    What we spend and how we spend it:

    What our priorities are and how we are doing:

    How we make decisions:

    Working at ORR:

    Written requests 

    Information held by a public authority that is not published under this scheme can be requested in writing at contact.pct@orr.gov.uk when its provision will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

    The right to know

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    The general right of access does not mean that we disclose all information requested under the Freedom of Information Act. Guidance in relation to the various exemptions is available from the ICO website.

    Where we obtain information as a result of our statutory functions, Section 145 of the Railways Act 1993 may prohibit us from disclosing this information without the consent of the person that provided it. Depending on the facts of a particular case, we will consider whether it is appropriate to seek a third party's consent to disclosure of information covered by Section 145.

    Following a previous Freedom of Information request, ORR has received written representations from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) putting on the record their objection to onward disclosure of their LENNON database information on the grounds of its commercially sensitive nature. ORR has therefore concluded that it is now prohibited from releasing this database information under Section 145 of the Railways Act 1993 (the 1993 Act) and Section 237 of the Enterprise Act 2002 (the 2002 Act). 

    Section 145 of the 1993 Act provides that no information with respect to any particular business which has been obtained under or by virtue of any provisions of that Act, and relates to the affairs of any individual or to any particular business (i.e. train operators and Network Rail), shall be disclosed without the consent of that individual or business. 

    Section 237 of the 2002 Act has a similar exemption in terms of information obtained by ORR in the course of investigations made under the Competition Act 1998 or the 2002 Act. 

    Releasing information in breach of the bar in both s.145 and s.237 is a criminal offence.