Freedom of Information

About the Model Publication Scheme

The MPS set out nine broad classes of information, and by adopting it, UHI North, West and Hebrides is committing to publishing everything that it holds which falls into the broad description given for each class. The MPS classes are:

• Freedom of Information overview page
• Class 1: About the authority
• General information about UHI North, West and Hebrides
• Access to information
• Our constitution
• Corporate planning
• How UHI North, West and Hebrides 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

Availability and Format of Information

Most information about our publication scheme is available online via our web site. Often a link within the classes of information will take you directly to the relevant page or document. Some information will require Adobe Reader software to view. This can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe web site.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for or need to make alternative access arrangements, please contact the FOI Officer via any of the below methods:

• Email
• Phone
• Post
• In person visit (by appointment only)

When requesting information from us, please provide your name, details of your request, and a telephone number or returns address so that we can contact you if further clarification is necessary.

FOI Officer contact details

Please contact the FOI Officer to make enquiries about any aspect of this Guide to Information, our Model Publication Scheme or for general help finding information.

Should you wish to submit a FOISA or EIR request, you are also encouraged to contact the Freedom of Information Officer (contact details below) to ensure these are managed as efficiently as possible. However, requests submitted in permanent form using any College contact method will be accepted.

Email: foi.nwh@uhi.ac.uk

Phone switch board on 01847 889000 and ask to speak to the Freedom of Information Officer

Address: Freedom of Information Officer, UHI North, West & Hebrides, Ormlie Road, Thurso, KW14 7EE

Alternative arrangements

Alternative arrangements are available for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online (or by inspection at our premises). For example, we can usually arrange to send information to you in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).

Alternative formats

In compliance with the Equality Act 2010, the College will endeavor, where possible, to positively respond to requests for information in alternative formats received under FOISA or EIR legislation. Please contact the Freedom of Information Officer (indicated above) with details of your requirements.

Exempt information

If a document we publish contains information that is exempt under Scotland’s freedom of information laws (for example sensitive personal information), we may omit or redact the information before publication, but we will explain why. Note that information will only be withheld, however, where FOISA expressly permits it. If you wish to complain about any information which has been withheld from you, contact the Freedom of Information Officer at foi.nwh@uhi.ac.uk

How to access information which is not available under this MPS

Should you wish to request a copy of any information that we hold that is not available under the MPS, please contact Freedom of Information Officer at foi.nwh@uhi.ac.uk

Copyright

UHI North, West and Hebrides holds the copyright for the vast majority of information in this Publication scheme. All of this information can be copied or reproduced without our 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.

Where the publication scheme contains any information where the copyright holder is a third party, or in cases where the copyright is unclear, it is the responsibility of the person accessing the Information to locate and seek the permission of the copyright holder before reproducing the material or in any other way breaching the rights of the copyright holder. In most cases, the copyright holder will be obvious from the documents. Wherever possible, this scheme will indicate where we do not own the copyright on documents within published ‘Classes of Information’.

Information about Crown copyright material is available on the website of the King’s Printer for Scotland. We can provide you with a copy of this information if you do not have internet access.

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.

Type and size	Price per sheet (pence)	Double-sided
A4 Black and White	6p	9p
A4 Colour	11p	18p
A3 Black and White	12p	18p
A3 Colour	22p	36p

Information provided on CD-Rom will be charged at £1.00 per computer disc. Postage costs will be recharged at the rate we pay to send the information to you.

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

We welcome feedback on how we can develop our Guide to Information further. If you have a comment or complaint on any aspect of this Guide, or the Commissioner‘s MPS, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer by calling the College switchboard on 01847 889 000. For more information on how we treat your data upon an enquiry, please see our privacy notices.

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.

Information relating to your right to appeal is available from the Scottish Information Commissioner's web page.

*verbal requests for environmental information are acceptable.

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.