FOI ref: FOI/2023/4952
You asked
Please will you supply me with the decision report, notice or other documents that explain the reasons why your organisation classifies the Canal & River Trust as a 'public non-financial corporation'.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes the Public Sector Classification Guide on a monthly basis.
The Public Sector Classification Guide lists current and former public sector bodies that the ONS has classified. Information pertaining to the Canal & River trust can be found as follows:
Download the associated dataset "Public Sector Classification Guide"
Select the index on the menu page.
The Canal and River Trust is listed along with details about its classification. The explanatory notes attached to the record are as follows:
"The British Waterways Board (BWB) was restructured on 2nd July 2012, and its English and Welsh operations transferred to a new charity called the Canal & River Trust (CRT). In accordance with the European System of Accounts 2010 (ESA 2010) and the accompanying 2014 Manual on Government Deficit and Debt (MGDD 2014), it was judged that the Canal & River Trust is a market body because there is sufficient evidence to suggest it charges economically significant prices and passes the quantitative market test. The Canal & River Trust is judged to be under government control in particular through the provisions of enabling instruments whereby the Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Affairs has the power to approve or deny certain corporate decisions (e.g. dissolution). The Canal & River Trust is therefore classified as a public non-financial corporation (S.11001)."
Should you have any queries about this or other classifications, feel free to contact us at econstats.classifications@ons.gov.uk.
You may also find the publication UK economic statistics sector and transaction classifications: the classification process - Office for National Statistics useful in your research.