Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Under section 23 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, all public authorities have a duty to adopt and maintain a publication scheme which relates to the information the authority publishes, and has been approved by the Information Commissioner. The publication scheme and the manner to which it is made freely available reflect the commitment to openness, transparency and the public interest that the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) advocates.
Further information
For further information about the act and publication scheme
- The Scottish Information Commissioners web site contains further information on the act and the publication scheme.
- Freedom of Information Scotland (2002) website contains the full text of the act.
- The Scottish government FOI web site and contains information on the legislation and training materials.
About UHI
The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) achieved title in February 2011. Prior to that, in April 2001, the Scottish Executive granted UHI Millennium Institute the status of Higher Education Institution. This was achieved after a decade of dedicated hard work by the people involved with the University of the Highlands and Islands Project. However, for centuries the people of the Highlands and Islands have aspired to create a university and thus UHI has an extensive and intriguing history which dates back to the 14th century when Perth was identified as a suitable site for university provision throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Our network is a unique partnership of colleges and research institutions in the region, co-ordinated by the university's executive office based in Inverness. Each college and research institution has its own distinctive character and strengths. This means that our students can share in the educational advantages of a larger institution while benefiting from the personal attention a smaller college can give. Each partner college also has their own version of a publication scheme that will cover information specific to themselves whilst incorporating their further education students.
Model publication scheme
UHI, after consultation with the member academic partners and research institutes, has taken the decision to adopt the model publication scheme (MPS) for Higher Education Institutions. The purpose of the scheme is to provide information proactively in an easily accessible form, so that people can access it without having to make an individual request. The scheme will set out what classes of information UHI publishes, how the information is made available and whether there is a fee for the information.
The MPS for Higher Education Institutions was prepared under the auspices of Universities Scotland Freedom of Information Working Group. The working group made a consultation draft available to all member institutions. It also made the draft available to the trades unions recognised by the Universities Scotland member institutions, and to the National Union of Students and the Coalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland. Universities Scotland also consulted with the Scottish Consumer Council.
Overall responsibility of the publication scheme belongs to:
Fiona Larg
Secretary to UHI
University of the Highlands and Islands
Executive Office
Ness Walk
Inverness
IV3 5SQ
For further information, contact:
Isla Cruden
Compliance and Equality Officer
University of the Highlands and Islands
Executive Office
Ness Walk
Inverness
IV3 5SQ
D: +44 (0) 1463 279247
F: +44 (0) 1463 279001
Exemptions to the Act
The university's aim is to be as open as possible. However, information may be withheld from any of the classes of information listed where we consider that disclosure may seriously prejudice law enforcement, legal proceedings or our regulatory or enforcement activity or where the disclosure is otherwise prohibited by law. We may also withhold information if its disclosure would breach the law of confidentiality or seriously prejudice the commercial interests of any person or organisation, including statistical information in cases where small numbers may allow the identification of individuals. We may also withhold information which is personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Records management
At present UHI EO is revising its records management, document retention and archiving policies and procedures to bring them in line with current legislation. The revision is incorporating the advice given in the code of practice on records management, section 61 of the FOI (Scotland) Act, and the Universities Scotland model action plan for records management for the FE and HE sector, along with other guidance that has been issued for the HE sector. For individual academic partner policies on these issues please refer to their individual publication schemes.
Copyright
Information obtained from this publication scheme can be copied or reproduced without formal permission provided it is copied or reproduced accurately, is not used in a misleading context and provided that the source of the material is identified and the copyright status acknowledged. Where the publication scheme contains any information where the copyright holder is identified as a third party, it is recommended that the consent of the third party is sought before the information obtained under the publication scheme is copied or reproduced. Identification of a third part is clear where a link is followed from the university web site to a separate web site.
Accessing information
Most of the information available under within the UHI publication scheme will be on the web site. In some circumstances the information may only be available in a hard copy format, and in all cases the information on the web site can be requested for in hard copy. The hard copy format can be requested either by telephone, email or post. A forwarding address, email address or telephone number must be provided along with your full name. In rare circumstances the only available method of accessing the information is by inspection on the premises. If this is the case the appropriate section of the publication scheme should provide details on how to access the information. If this is unclear please contact Isla Cruden by phone, email or post.
UHI is committed to freedom of information and if you are in any doubt of the type of information you are looking for we will endeavour to help you as best as possible to identify the appropriate information. If due to a disability you require help accessing the required information in a different format please contact Isla Cruden by phone, email or mail who will help you with the request.
Charging policy
Information that is requested in hard copy may have a charge associated with it. This charge should not exceed 5p per sheet of paper plus the cost of postage.
Complaints
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act comes into force until the 1st January 2005 whilst the publication scheme goes live on the 1st September 2004. Therefore, from the first of September 2004 complaints will be taken in respect of the publication scheme, and from the 1st January 2005 they will be taken for both freedom of information issues and the publication scheme. Complaints concerning either should be made to Isla Cruden who will investigate and respond to your complaint usually within 10 working days.
Feedback
The university welcomes feedback on its publication scheme. If you have any comments on the content, layout or any other aspect of the publication scheme please forward them to Isla Cruden.
Request for information
Should you wish to make a request for information about or from UHI, it will speed things up if you can use our online request form
