FOI release

FOI 1213188 Free Speech Union

Published 6 November 2026

Applies to England and Wales

FOI1213188       

Dear

Freedom of Information Act 2000   

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 entitles you to:  

• know whether the information you have requested is held by the PCA; and
• be provided with that information, subject to any exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which may apply.

This request is being handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  

This information request was sent to the office inbox on the 5th August 2026 :  

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Free Speech Union, a non-partisan mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech of its members and campaigns for freedom of speech more widely.

On 9 March 2026 the UK Government published a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility (“the Definition”), alongside accompanying guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

This is a request for information pursuant to section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoIA).

Information requested

I request the following information in respect of Pubs Code Adjudicator:

1. Confirmation of whether you have adopted the definition in whole or in part and if so; a. The date of adoption;

2. Minutes of any and all meetings at which the adoption was discussed;
3. Email and/or other correspondence in which adoption was discussed
4. Whether the Definition, or any equivalent formulation of anti-Muslim hostility, has been incorporated or is proposed to be incorporated into any regulator document which could reasonably be considered to constitute policy, strategy, guidance, or training material. For each such document, please provide:

i. its title and date of publication or adoption; and ii. a copy of the document, or, where it is publicly available, a link to its location.

1. Whether any external bodies have sent guidance or recommendations to Pubs Code Adjudicator

2. Whether you are actively considering adoption of the Definition and, if so, please send any review, consultation, or decision-making process currently under way, including anticipated timelines.

My preference is for any response to be sent to this email address.

If you consider that you require any further information in order to process this request, please let me know as a matter of urgency.

Finally, I remind you of the ICO Guide to Freedom of Information:

When estimating the cost of compliance … [y]ou cannot take into account the time you are likely to need to decide whether exemptions apply, to redact (edit out) exempt information, or to carry out the public interest test.

I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.

I can confirm that the office of the PCA does not hold information relevant to your request. 

If you have any questions, please contact me on 08005288080 or office@pubscodeadjudicator.gov.uk.  

Please quote the reference number FOI1171048 in any future communications. If you do not believe that the office of the PCA has provided an appropriate response to your request, as set out above, you are entitled to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original request and should be made in writing, quoting the above reference, to office@pubscodeadjudicator.gov.uk or:  

PCA 4th Floor 23 Stephenson Street Birmingham B2 4BJ  

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. I will now close your request as of this date.  

Yours sincerely,