Guide to information through model Publication Scheme
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requires that all Scottish public authorities make certain types of information routinely available, and provide a guidance to in formation telling the public how to access the information and what it might cost.
This guide to information also contains details of the environmental information that we routinely make available under Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (the EI(S)Rs).
Heriot-Watt University has adopted the Model Publication Scheme 2013 produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner, who is responsible for enforcing FOISA. You can see this scheme on the Commissioner's website, or by contacting us at the address below.
We have made a commitment to publish all information which we hold which falls within the classes of information in the scheme. This Guide to Information describes the information which we publish in accordance with the scheme, and how you can access this information.
We are obliged 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 costs of those services
- The standard of those services
- The facts that inform the important decision we take
- The reasoning that informs our decisions
This Guide to information was prepared by the Scottish Higher Education Information Practitioners Group (SHEIP), under the auspices of Universities Scotland's Secretaries Group. SHEIP consulted the public authorities to be covered by the Guide, to assess what information should be included in the Guide, taking account of reviews of information requests, and assessments of previous publication scheme feedback.
Our Guide to Information provides more details of the information available under the scheme, along with additional guidance on how the information falling with each "class" may be accessed.
Online
Most information listed in our Guide to Information is available on our website. In many cases a link within Section 8: Categories of Information will direct you to the relevant page or document. Where no such link is present, you can use our website's 'Search' facility.
If you are still having trouble finding any document listed under our scheme, then please call Ann Jones, Information Governance, 0131 451 3274/3219 for further assistance.
By email
If the information you seek is listed in our Guide to Information but is not published on our website, we can send it to you by email, wherever possible. When requesting information from us, please provide a telephone number so that we can telephone you to clarify details, if necessary. You can contact us by email on foi@hw.ac.uk
By phone
Information can also be requested from us over the telephone. Please call Ms Ann Jones, Information Governance, 0131 451 3274/3219 to request information available under this scheme.
By post
All information under the scheme will normally be available in paper copy form. Please address your request to: Freedom of Information and Data Protection Heritage and Information Governance Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh EH14 4AS
When writing to us to request information, please include your name and address, full details of the information or documents you would like to receive, and any fee applicable (see "Our Charging Policy" for further information on fees). Please also include a telephone number so we can telephone you to clarify any details, if necessary.
Advice and assistance
If you have any difficulty identifying the information you want to access, then please contact Ms Ann Jones, Information Governance, 0131 451 3274/3219 who will be happy to help.