Not long now

There appears to be a log-jam in the normally free-flowing river of Freedom of Information responses cascading in crystalline fashion from our transparent BBC.

Outstanding queries now beyond their allotted time frame include one on the number of staff graded at Band 11, another on staff at lower grades, and a series about releasing articles written for the staff magazine Ariel.

But there is still one unanswered from December 2014, asking for details on the number of compromise agreements reached with departing staff, where, in the past, lump sums were given as long as the recipient kept quiet about it. In March last year, the BBC's Simon Pickard conducted an internal review and agreed a response was well overdue. "In the process of undertaking this internal review, it is clear to me that the relevant departments responsible for the information that has been requested have been working on this request, and that a response should be forthcoming shortly."

"Shortly" must now be redefined as "a period over just over a year".