Freedom of information
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Guide to information published by UHI Inverness under the Model Publication Scheme 2017.
Last Updated Publication Charges: 05 October 2022
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) provides individuals with a right of access to all recorded information held by UHI Inverness. Anyone can use this right, and information can only be withheld where FOISA expressly permits it.
FOISA requires UHI Inverness to adopt and maintain a publication scheme, and to publish information in accordance with that scheme [1]. A publication scheme is a document which describes the information the college publishes, tells the public where to find it, and whether there is a charge for it. When deciding what it will publish, a college must consider the public interest in information about [2]:
- its services, the cost of providing services, and the standards attained by those services
- the facts or analysis, on the basis of which it has made decisions of importance to the public
- the reasons for the decisions it has made.
The Act also allows the Scottish Information Commissioner to prepare model publication schemes which can be adopted by a group of authorities [3]. The Commissioner has developed the Model Publication Scheme 2017 (‘MPS’), which is suitable for adoption by all public authorities, including Scottish colleges. You can find the information within the MPS in Classes 1 - 9.
UHI Inverness has adopted the Scottish Information Commissioner’s MPS in its entirety, without amendment. This means that we are committed to publishing all the information we hold, which is described by the classes in the MPS.
Our Guide to Information
This document is the Guide to Information which UHI Inverness makes available under the classes described in the MPS. It:
- allows the public to see what information is available in relation to each class
- states what charges may be applied
- explains how to find the information easily
- provides contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information
- explains how to request information that has not been published.
Alongside FOISA, the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (the EIRs) provide a separate right of access to the environmental information that we hold. The MPS also covers environmental information.
About the Model Publication Scheme
About the Model Publication Scheme
The MPS set out nine broad classes of information, and by adopting it, UHI Inverness is committing to publishing everything that it holds which falls into the broad description given for each class. The MPS classes are:
- Class 1: About the authority
- General information about UHI Inverness
- Access to information
- Our constitution
- Corporate planning
- How UHI Inverness is run
- Diversity
- Health and safety
- External and community relations
- Government and regulator relations
- Class 2: How we deliver our functions and services
- Student administration and support
- Teaching quality
- Information services
- Class 3: How we take decisions and what we have decided
- Class 4: What we spend and how we spend it
- Class 5: How we manage our human, physical and information resources
- Human resources
- Physical resources
- Information resource
- Class 6: How we procure goods and services from external providers
- Class 7: How we are performing
- Class 8: Our commercial publications
- Class 9: Open Data
About the Model Publication Scheme
Availability and format of information
Availability and format of information
Most information listed in our Guide to Information is available online through the UHI Inverness website. Links within the Guide will usually take you directly to the relevant webpage or document. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, or need to arrange access in another format, please contact our Freedom of Information Officer using one of the methods below.
When requesting information, please include your name, details of your request and a telephone number or postal address so we can contact you if we need to clarify anything.
Online: Use the links within our Guide to Information to access relevant webpages and documents. If there is no direct link, use the website’s search facility. If you still cannot find what you need, email foi.ic@uhi.ac.uk for assistance.
- Email: If the information is listed in our Guide but is not available online, you can request it by emailing foi.ic@uhi.ac.uk.
- Phone: Call 01463 273000 to request information or speak to us about accessing information listed in the Guide.
- In-person visit: You can arrange to inspect information at our premises by appointment. Please call 01463 273000 to arrange a visit.
- Post: Freedom of Information Officer, UHI Inverness, Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5NA
Alternative arrangements
We can make alternative arrangements for people who cannot or do not wish to access information online or inspect it at our premises. For example, we can usually provide printed copies of information, although a charge may apply.
If you require information in an alternative format, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer at foi.ic@uhi.ac.uk to discuss your requirements.
Exempt information
Some information may be exempt from disclosure under Scotland’s freedom of information legislation, such as sensitive personal information or trade secrets. Where necessary, we may remove or redact exempt information from published documents and explain why.
Information will only be withheld where permitted under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) or, for environmental information, the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations (EIRs).
If you wish to complain about information that has been withheld, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer at foi.ic@uhi.ac.uk.
Copyright
Copyright
Where UHI Inverness holds the copyright in its published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- it is copied or reproduced accurately
- it is not used in a misleading context, and
- the source of the material is identified
Where UHI Inverness does not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make this clear.
Charges
Charges
This section explains when we may make a charge for our publications and how any charge will be calculated. There is no charge to view information on our website or at our premises
We may charge for providing information to you e.g., photocopying and postage, but we will charge you no more than it actually costs us to do so. We will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you.
Where charges are applied, photocopied information will be charged at a standard rate of:
| Type and size | Price per sheet (pence) | Double-sided |
|---|---|---|
|
A4 -Black and white |
4p | 6p |
|
A4 - Colour |
10p | 15p |
|
A3 - Black and white |
8p | 12p |
|
A3 - Colour |
20p | 30p |
Postage cost
We will pass on postage costs to the requester at the cost to the college of sending the information by first class post.
When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy of the total print run. We do not pass any other costs on to you in relation to our published information.
Charges for information not available under the MPS
If you submit a request to us for information which is not available under the MPS the charges will be based on the following calculations:
- There will be no charge for information requests which cost us £100 or less to process.
- Where information costs between £100 and £600 to provide you may be asked to pay 10% of the cost. That is, if you were to ask for information that cost us £600 to provide, you would be asked to pay £50, that is calculated on the basis of a waiver for the first £100 and 10% of the remaining £500.
- We are not obliged to respond to requests which will cost us over £600 to process, however we will correspond with you to find out whether it is possible to narrow down the scope of the information request in order to bring it within the £600 limit.
- In calculating any fee, staff time will be calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £15 per person per hour.
- We do not charge for the time used to determine whether we hold the information requested, nor for the time it takes to decide whether the information can be released. However, charges may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you.
- In the event that we decide to impose a charge, we will issue you with notification of the charge (a fees notice) and how it has been calculated. You will have three months from the date of issue of the fees notice in which to decide whether to pay the charge. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge. If you decide not to proceed with the request, there will be no charge to you.
Charges for environmental information
- We do not charge for the time spent to determine whether we hold the information requested, nor for the time it takes to decide whether information can be released. However, charges may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you.
- If we decide to impose a charge, we will issue you with notification of the charge (a fees notice) and how it has been calculated. You will have 60 working days from the date of issue of the fees notice in which to decide whether to pay the charge. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge. If you decide not to proceed with the request, there will be no charge to you.
- Charges are calculated based on the actual cost to the authority of providing the information.
- Staff time is calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate.
- Photocopying, where this is being charged for, is charged at 10p per A4 sheet for black and white copying, 30p per A4 sheet for colour copying.
- Postage is charged at actual rate for first class mail.
Feedback or complaints
Feedback or complaints
We welcome feedback on how we can develop our Guide to Information further. If you would like to comment on any aspect of this Guide, or the Commissioner‘s MPS, please contact quality.ic@uhi.ac.uk or foi.ic@uhi.ac.uk.
If you wish to complain about any aspect of this Guide, then please contact us, and we will try and resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. You can contact quality.ic@uhi.ac.uk.
Any complaint will be acknowledged within two working days of receipt and we will respond in full within twenty working days. You have legal rights to access information under FOISA and EIRs and a right of appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner if you are dissatisfied with our response. These rights apply only to information requests made in writing* or another recordable format. If you remain dissatisfied with how your request for information has been dealt with, you also have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner.
For more information relating to your right to appeal visit Scottish Information Commissioner.
Publication timescale
In some of the classes covered by the MPS, information is not published until it is formally approved, a process which may take some time after its initial creation in draft form. This applies especially to minutes of meetings, which are normally not available until approved by the next meeting in the sequence. The relevant timescales are published in the same locations and in the same form that the information will ultimately be published.