Our Ref:         FOI-0241-2021

Thank you for your request received on 19 May 2020 asking for information about filming at Aldwych Station.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.

Unfortunately, to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.

• Which film companies used this location?
• How often was the Tube train that is stationed at this location put into use for a film shoot?
• How many times was a Tube train driver needed by a film production to drive the Tube train?
• How much revenue did this location make for London Underground?
• How many health and safety incidents were reported by film cast and crew?

We have estimated that it would cost in excess of £450 to provide a response to your current request. This is because it is estimated that it would take over 18 working hours to retrieve and compile the information you have requested.

We do not hold a central record of the above information. In order to extract the requested information we would have to manually review five years’ worth of reports of contracts.

• Which parts of the station were used for film shoots?
• Which areas of the Aldwych Station are allocated for film shoots?
• Are all film production crew and cast required to go through safety training by London Underground for this location?
• Is there a maximum limit of film crew and cast that can be on site at this location?

We can provide the information for the above four questions. Please note the first two questions appear to be duplicated.

• How many film productions were not approved for filming at this location?

We do not hold this information. Until mid-2019 the enquiries to the Film Office were not tracked, therefore only jobs which progressed to contract stage are documented. We can provide information on approximately the last nine months, but we do not presently record the location that the request related to.

To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider narrowing its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. For example, by limiting your request to the questions that I have indicated we can respond to above, or by significantly narrowing the timeframe of your request.

If you want to refine your request or make a Freedom of Information Act request in future, please bear in mind that the Freedom of Information Act allows you to request recorded information held by us. You should identify the information that you want as clearly and concisely as you can, specifying the types of document that you are looking for.

Please note that we will not be taking further action until we receive your revised request.

In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your request, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please note, the Government has announced a series of measures to tackle the coronavirus. It is essential for London, that we continue to provide a safe transport network for essential journeys.
 
In current circumstances, we are not able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present.
 
Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the current situation.
 
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]