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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The Freedom of Information Act is aimed at promoting access to a wide range of information held by public bodies in the UK. It gives new rights to members of the public to access information, and places requirements on public bodies on how they should respond to requests for information. Over 100,000 ‘public authorities’ are covered by the Act, including Central Government, Local Government, the NHS, the Police and Education institutions.

The Publication Scheme

If you are seeking information about the College, please check the Publication Scheme first. The Publication Scheme lists all the information which the College makes available routinely. Some of the information listed in the Scheme is already available on our Website, or can be requested using the contact details shown. The College Library also has its own Publication Scheme which can be found on the Library Website at www.ucsm.ac.uk/library. The College's Publication Schemes were last updated in June, 2006.

Information not listed in the Publication Scheme

Under the Freedom of Information Act, you have the right to request access to any information held by the College. If you wish to request information which is not already listed in the Publication Scheme, please put your request in writing explaining clearly what information you require. Please also include your name and address.

Please write to:

foiadmin@ucsm.ac.uk – to make your request by e-mail

or by letter to:

Information Access Officer
Quality Assurance and Standards Unit
St. Martin’s College
Bowerham Road
Lancaster
LA1 3JD

For further help or advice on making a request for information, please contact the College Information Access Officer on (01524) 384754.

How requests for information are dealt with

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the College is obliged to:

• respond to a written request for information within 20 working days.
• in most cases, inform someone requesting information whether the College holds that information.
• and in most cases provide the information requested, unless it is covered by an exemption under the Act. (An exemption may apply to some types of confidential information – see the links in the ‘further information’ section below for further details)

Fees for providing information

The College may also on occasion charge for providing information, in accordance with the Government’s Fees Regulations. If a charge applies to information you are requesting, we will inform you as soon as possible. Any charges will be in accordance with the College's Charging Policy.

Further Information

For further information about the Freedom of Information Act, please see:

The website of the Department for Constitutional Affairs at www.foi.gov.uk

The Information Commissioner’s website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk