Freedom of Information
PART ONE: Introduction to the Publication Scheme
1. Legal requirement
1.1 Adopting a publication scheme is a requirement of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This Act promotes greater openness and accountability across the public sector by requiring all 'public authorities' to make information available proactively, through a publication scheme.
1.2 'Public authorities' are defined in the Act and include universities, further education colleges and sixth form colleges.
2. What is a publication scheme?
2.1 A publication scheme is a document which describes the information a public authority publishes, or intends to publish. In this context, 'publish' means to make information available, routinely. These descriptions are called 'classes of information'. The scheme is not a list of the actual publications, because this will change as new material is published or existing material revised. It is, however, the public authority's commitment to make available the information described.
2.2 A publication scheme must set out the classes, or categories, of information published. It must also make clear how the information described can be accessed and whether or not charges will be made.
3. The model publication scheme
3.1 As of January 2009 there is one approved model scheme which must be adopted by all public authorities. This lists information under seven broad classes. The College has produced its publication scheme in accordance with the definition documentation for colleges.
4. Brockenhurst College
4.1 Brockenhurst College is a tertiary further education provider rated outstanding by the UK Office for Standards in Education.
4.2 Brockenhurst College’s Vision is to become the leading educator and trainer in the Learning and Skills sector. Its Core Purpose is to help people make the most of their lives through learning.
5. Accessing information covered by the publication scheme
5.1 The classes of information we publish are described in Part 2 of the scheme.
5.2 In each class we have indicated the manner in which the information described will be available. We have also indicated whether charges apply to material in each class. Publications available on the College website will be available free of charge. The supply of printed copies of web pages or hard copy documents will incur charges unless otherwise stated. Please see the charging policy for further information. In most cases electronic versions of documents can be sent by email.
5.3 To request information available through our publication scheme, please contact the Data Protection Officer, contact details below.
5.4 Please note that a publication scheme relates to 'published' information. Therefore, material covered has already been prepared in a format ready for distribution.
5.5 Almost all publications listed in this publication scheme are the copyright of Brockenhurst College and reproduction of material supplied through the publication scheme or in response to a request for information without the express permission of Brockenhurst College (or copyright holder) may be an infringement of copyright. Requests for permission to reproduce such material should be addressed to the Data Protection Officer, contact details below.
6. What about information not covered by the publication scheme?
6.1 From 1 January 2005 you will have the right, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to request any information held by the College which we have not already made available through our publication scheme.
6.2 Requests will have to be made in writing and, in general, the College will have 20 working days to respond. The College may charge a fee, which will have to be calculated according to Fees Regulations. The College will not be required to release information to which an exemption in the Act legitimately applies. However, the College may be required to explain to the applicant why it is not releasing information and may also have to justify this to the Information Commissioner.
7. Feedback
7.1 It is important that this publication scheme meets your needs. If you find the scheme difficult to understand, please let us know. We also welcome suggestions as to how our scheme might be improved. Any questions, comments or complaints about this scheme should be sent in writing to the Data Protection Officer below.
Data Protection Officer
Brockenhurst College
Lyndhurst Road
Brockenhurst
SO42 7ZE
Tel: 01590 625555
Email: dataprotection@brock.ac.uk
7.2 If we are unable to resolve any complaint, you can complain to the Information Commissioner, the independent body who oversees the Freedom of Information Act:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
8. Further information
More information about the Freedom of Information Act is available on the Information Commissioner's website.
Please note that Scotland has its own Freedom of Information Act and Information Commissioner. For more information, please see the Scottish Executive's website.
PART TWO: Publication Schemes
1. Who we are and what we do
This section of the publication scheme provides information on the organisation, structures, locations and contact details.
All information is free of charge where it is linked from the website. A fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval, photocopying and postage for hard copy. It may be possible to send an electronic copy. Please see the charging policy at Annex 1 for further details.
The list of documents is being updated and will be republished here soon.
2. What we spend and how we spend it
This section of the publication scheme provides financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit.
All information is free of charge where it is linked from the website. A fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval, photocopying and postage for hard copy. It may be possible to send an electronic copy. Please see the charging policy at Annex 1 for further details.
The list of documents is being updated and will be republished here soon.
3. What our priorities are and how we are doing
This section of the publication scheme provides information on strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews
All information is free of charge where it is linked from the website. A fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval, photocopying and postage for hard copy. It may be possible to send an electronic copy. Please see the charging policy at Annex 1 for further details.
The list of documents is being updated and will be republished here soon.
4. How we make decisions
This section of the publication scheme provides information on policy proposals and decisions, decision making processes, internal criteria and procedures, consultations.
All information is free of charge where it is linked from the website. A fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval, photocopying and postage for hard copy. It may be possible to send an electronic copy. Please see the charging policy at Annex 1 for further details.
The minutes of Brockenhurst College committees and groups will be available in the publication scheme one year after the date of the meeting. Access to minutes less than a year old will be treated as standard Freedom of Information requests and will therefore be subject to exemptions.
The list of documents is being updated and will be republished here soon.
5. Our policies and procedures
This section of the publication scheme provides information on current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities
All information is free of charge where it is linked from the website. A fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval, photocopying and postage for hard copy. It may be possible to send an electronic copy. Please see the charging policy at Annex 1 for further details.
The list of documents is being updated and will be republished here soon.
6. Lists and Registers
This section of the publication scheme provides information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to functions of the authority.
All information is free of charge where it is linked from the website. A fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval, photocopying and postage for hard copy. It may be possible to send an electronic copy. Please see the charging policy at Annex 1 for further details.
7. The Services we offer
This section of the publication scheme provides information on advice and guidance, booklets and leaflets, transactions and media releases
All information is free of charge where it is linked from the website. A fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval, photocopying and postage for hard copy. It may be possible to send an electronic copy. Please see the charging policy at Annex 1 for further details.
The list of documents is being updated and will be republished here soon.
ANNEXES
Annex 1. Charging Policy for the Publication Scheme
The purpose of this scheme is to make the maximum amount of information readily available at minimum inconvenience and cost to the public. Charges made by the College for routinely published material will be justified and transparent and kept to a minimum.
Information linked from the College website is available free of charge.
Information that can be provided as an electronic copy, usually via email, will be provided free of charge.
Charges may be made for actual disbursements incurred such as:
· photocopying
· printing
· postage and packaging
· the costs directly incurred as a result of viewing information
Current printed publications such as the Annual Report and Prospectus will be provided free of charge. There may be a charge for back issues of these documents if they need to be printed from a computer or photocopied.
Charges may also be made for information provided under this scheme where they are legally authorised, they are in all the circumstances, including the general principles of the right of access to information held by public authorities, justified and are in accordance with a published schedule or schedules of fees which is readily available to the public.
If a charge is to be made, confirmation of the payment due will be given before the information is provided. Payment may be requested prior to provision of the information.
Details of charges are available on application to the Data Protection Officer by emailing dataprotection@brock.ac.uk
Annex 2. Guide to Requesting Information
Brockenhurst College is committed to promoting public understanding of its nature and activities via the systematic publication of all relevant information. The College will make every effort to provide, where practical and permissible, additional information to members of the public in those cases where routinely published information does not provide them with the information they require.
Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, individuals have a number of rights with regard to obtaining information held by the College. Appropriate information request forms are available for download. Before completing an application form, please read the notes below to determine the nature of your request.
Requesting information relating to yourself
Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 you are allowed to ask the College for information held about you as an individual. If you wish to make an enquiry about data that relates to yourself, then please complete the Subject Access Request Form, or request a copy from the Data Protection Officer (contact details below). Please note that there will usually be a charge of £10 for this service and that the College will normally respond to your request within 40 days. Please return the completed form to the Data Protection Officer.
Request for other information held by the College
Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 you have the right to ask the College to provide you with any information held by the College. For example, you may wish to see the minutes of a particular meeting, or obtain standard information about student numbers.
The College already makes public large quantities of the information that it holds and a description of all that we publish is available in the Publication Scheme on our website.
Before submitting any request you are advised to check the College’s Publication Scheme to determine whether the information you require is already available (if you make a request for information that does already appear in public then our only response will be to direct you to the relevant resource).
If you wish to make an enquiry about data held by the College which does not seem to be already available, then please use the Request For Information form or request a copy from the Data Protection Officer (contact details below). We will then instigate a search for the information you need. Please note:
i. where the information you request is already routinely published by the College (or some other public body) then we will provide you with guidance on how to find this information, rather than the information itself.
ii. if you wish to obtain personal information relating to yourself then we may need to ask for a more detailed request from you (please see the section above on “Requesting information relating to yourself”).
iii. there may be a fee for this service; if there is a fee, we shall contact you as soon as possible to inform you of the amount.
iv. the College will usually respond to your request within 20 working days.
v. please specify clearly all the information you require: we will make all reasonable efforts to locate this information, though we may need to ask you to provide more detail if your original application does not allow us to identify exactly what you want. If you require advice on how to specify your needs, please contact the Data Protection Officer.
vi. the Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides some limits to your access to information, though the College would only consider withholding information in cases where an exemption legitimately applies. Likely exemptions will include data protection, commercially sensitive information, information provided in confidence and information intended for future publication. If we cannot comply with your request for any reason, we will provide you with a full explanation of the reason(s) for that refusal and details of how to appeal against that decision.
vii. we will not provide statistical information analysed to any greater level of detail than is normally provided with the College’s standard published information.
viii. if it transpires that the College does not hold the information you have requested then we will write to you to inform you of this. Where possible, we will suggest alternative ways in which you may be able to access the information you require.
ix. if some/all of the information you request is held by another Public Authority then we will provide what information we can and then consider transferring the request to the relevant Authority.
Should we need to transfer your request, you will be informed immediately.
If you need any advice on your request, or are unhappy with our response, please write or email the Data Protection Officer at the address shown below:
Data Protection Officer
Brockenhurst College
Lyndhurst Road
Brockenhurst
SO42 7ZE