The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FoISA) requires that all Scottish public authorities make certain types of information routinely available and provide a guide to information telling the public how to access the information and what it might cost.
SRUC has adopted the Model Publication Scheme produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner, who is responsible for enforcing FoISA. This scheme was approved in 2013 and updated in 2018 and can be viewed on the Commissioner's website.
We have made a commitment to publish all information which we hold which falls within the classes of information in the scheme. We are required by FoISA to have due regard to the public interest in providing access to the information that we hold which relates to:
- The services we provide
- The cost of those services
- The standard of those services
- The facts that inform the important decisions we take
- The reasoning that informs our decisions
The Model Publication Scheme imposes six Principles which govern the way we make information available through our Guide to Information.
1. Availability and formats: Accessing information under the scheme
Our Guide to Information provides more details of the information available under the scheme, along with additional guidance on how the information falling within each 'class' may be accessed.
Online
Some of the information listed in our Guide to Information is listed on our website. It can be accessed directly via the Guide to Information or by using the website's 'search' facility. If you are having trouble finding any document listed under our scheme, please contact foi@sruc.ac.uk
By email
If the information you seek is not published on our website, we can send it to you by email wherever possible. You may also make a direct request to us by emailing foi@sruc.ac.uk.
By post
Information under the scheme may also be available in paper copy form. Please address your request to Freedom of Information Queries, SRUC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG.
When writing to us to request information, please include your name and address and full details of the information or documents you would like to receive. Please also include a telephone number and/or email address so we can contact you to clarify any details, if necessary.
By inspection at our premises
Some of the information that we publish in accordance with the scheme may be available for inspection on site.
2. Exempt information: Information that we may withhold
Our aim in maintaining this guide is to be as open as possible. Information covered by the publication scheme can either be accessed through our website or will be provided within the timelines of FOISA following your request.
If a document contains information that SRUC may legitimately wish to exempt from disclosure under an appropriate section of Scotland's Freedom of Information laws we may remove or redact the information before publication, but we will inform you that we have done so and provide an explanation of why the information is withheld. The Scottish Information Commissioner's guidance on information that may be exempt from publication is available on their website.
3. Our copyright policy
All documents held on the SRUC server remain the property of SRUC. For information where the SRUC owns the copyright, information obtained from this Publication Scheme can be copied or reproduced without formal permission provided it is copied or reproduced accurately, for personal use, is not used in a misleading context and provided that the source of the material is identified and the copyright status acknowledged. Should a third party own the copyright, SRUC recommends that the third party's consent is sought prior to any copying being carried out.
The publication scheme may, however, contain information where the copyright holder is not SRUC. In most cases the copyright holder will be obvious from the documents. In cases where the copyright is unclear, however, 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. Wherever possible, this scheme will indicate where we do not own the copyright on documents within Section 12 – Classes of Information.
Information about Crown copyright material is available on the website of the Queen's Printer for Scotland at www.gov.scot/publications/guide-to-information/pages/copyright. We can provide you with a copy of this information if you do not have internet access.
All other information must be copied within the limits of the CDPA and its various amendments. Responsibility lies with the enquirer to ensure that Copyright is not breached.
4. Our charging policy
Unless otherwise stated below all information contained within our publication scheme is available from us free of charge where it can be downloaded by you from our website. We reserve the right to impose charges for providing information in paper copy or by email. Charges will reflect the costs to SRUC of retrieval, reproduction and postage. If a charge is to be levied, you will be advised of the charge and how it has been calculated. Information will not be provided to you until payment has been received.
Reproduction costs:
- Black and white copy: 20p per A4 side of paper or 40p per A3 side of paper
- Colour copy: 50p per A4 side of paper or 70p per A3 side of paper
- Large size plans/maps: £2.40 per A1 plan or £2.50 per A0 plan
- NB Where SRUC is asked to reproduce information under the publication scheme then the first 20 sheets of each request will be provided free of charge
Postage costs:
We will pass on postage charges to the requester at the cost to SRUC of sending the information by first class post or overseas by airmail.
We are required by the Equality Act 2010 to take steps to meet the needs of people who share a relevant protected characteristic. In terms of access to information, this means making reasonable adjustments to our practices to ensure that information is physically accessible. This may, for example, involve producing information in a larger script or different format where it is practicable to do so. The costs of this will be met by SRUC.
5. Advice and assistance
If the information you seek is not published on our website or in the Model Publication Scheme you may also make a direct request to us by emailing foi@sruc.ac.uk or writing to Freedom of Information Queries, SRUC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG.
6. Duration
Where we publish information on a regular basis (for example, financial statements, minutes of the Board) we make that information available for at least the current and two previous financial (1 August to 31 July) or academic (1 August to 31 July) years. In most other cases, where information is updated or superseded, we make only the current version available. See Principle 5 'Advice and Assistance' for how to request older information.
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