The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“the Act”) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (“the Regulations”) provide a general statutory right of access to information held by or on behalf of public authorities (including Regional Transport Partnerships). Any person who makes a request to SPT for information is entitled to receive that information, subject to certain limited conditions and exemptions.
The Partnership’s Freedom of information (FOI) policy affirms SPT’s commitment to the principles underlying the Act and Regulations and undertakes that SPT will conduct its business in accordance with the Codes of Practice published by the Scottish Ministers under the Act. The policy applies to all employees and members of the Partnership and provides that the Partnership Secretary is responsible for ensuring compliance.
Introduction
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (“EISR”) provide a general statutory right of access to information held by SPT, subject to certain limited conditions and exemptions. The freedom of information legislation also imposes certain duties on SPT as to the management of its records and the preparation and maintenance of a Publication Scheme setting out information which it makes routinely available and which can be quickly and easily accessed.
The Scottish Ministers have published codes of practice under FOISA, providing best practice guidance to public authorities on discharging their freedom of information functions under the Act:
- Section 60 Code of Practice on Discharge of Functions.
- Section 61 Code of Practice on records management.
Policy statement
SPT is committed to the principles underlying FOISA and EISR and undertakes:
- To conduct its business in accordance with the relevant Codes of Practice and in such a way as to promote openness and accountability, thereby maximising public trust in the workings of SPT.
- To take into account customer needs in presenting information.
- To maximise the publication of information through SPT’s Publication Scheme.
- To respect personal privacy in accordance with the principles set out in FOISA, EISR and the Data Protection Act 1998.
- To assist people in exercising their rights of access to information held by the Partnership.
- To monitor, review and improve compliance with FOISA and EISR.
Scope of the policy
This policy is applicable to all recorded information of any age held by SPT within the definition contained in the FOISA and EISR.
This policy applies to all employees and members of the Partnership.
Roles and Responsibilities
1. The Partnership has a responsibility to make its information available in accordance with FOISA and EISR. Responsibility for ensuring compliance with this policy lies with the Secretary of the Partnership.
2. The Partnership’s Freedom of Information Officer has day-to-day responsibilities for coordinating the Partnership’s freedom of information function. These responsibilities include drawing up guidance for compliance with FOISA, EISR and Codes of Practice and promoting compliance with this policy.
3. All staff, whether or not they create, receive or maintain any information, have responsibilities under FOISA and EISR. They must ensure that any request for information they may receive is handled in compliance with this policy and in accordance with SPT’s freedom of information guidelines.
Guidance for Implementation of the Policy
Guidance on the procedures necessary to comply with this policy is available on the Partnership’s intranet site. This guidance includes:
- How to recognise a FOISA or EISR request.
- Links to the Publication Scheme.
- Dealing with requests for information.
- Providing advice and assistance.
- Exemptions.
- Relationship with the Data Protection Act 1998.
- Links to the Codes of Practice and the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Charges
SPT will not charge for fulfilling requests for information which is not in the Publication Scheme, but reserves the right to invoke the provisions relating to excessive cost of compliance. When a request is received where it is estimated that it will cost more than £600 (or such other sum as may be prescribed by the Scottish Ministers) to retrieve and supply the information, SPT will, wherever possible, attempt to narrow the scope of the request and provide what it can within the threshold rather than refuse the request outright.
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act) requires Scottish public authorities to produce and maintain a publication scheme. Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- publish the classes of information that they make routinely available
- tell the public how to access the information and what it might cost.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has adopted the Model Publication Scheme 2013 produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner. The Scheme has the Commissioner’s approval until 31 May 2017.
You can see this scheme on our website at http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/standards-responsibility/freedom-of-information/ or by contacting us at the address below.
The purpose of this Guide to Information is to:
- allow the public to see what information is available (and what is not available) in relation to each class,
- state what charges may be applied
- explain how to find the information easily
- provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information
- explain how to request information we hold that has not been published
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model scheme is, wherever possible, available on our website. We offer alternative arrangements 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).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information below. If a document contains information that is exempt under Scotland’s freedom of information laws (for example sensitive personal information or a trade secret), we may remove or redact the information before publication but we will explain why.
Copyright
Information obtained from this publication scheme generally can be copied or reproduced without formal permission from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, provided it is copied and reproduced accurately and is not used in a misleading, defamatory or prejudicial context and provided you identify the source of the material and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s copyright status is acknowledged.
Please note that any of the material published in terms of this publication scheme remains the copyright of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport unless otherwise stated. Any further use of the material must comply with the terms of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. Commercial exploitation or reproduction of this material is prohibited. Any requests concerning the publication of material on a commercial basis should be made in writing to the Communications Manager at the postal address below, or by e-mail to communications@spt.co.uk.
Some of the material available by virtue of the publication scheme may be subject to third party copyright. Any reproduction of such material may require the consent of the copyright owner. No claim is made by SPT in respect of third party copyright. You should seek the consent of the copyright owner if you wish to reproduce any of this information.
Information about Crown copyright is available at:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/guidance/c.htm
Any Ordnance Survey mapping included within any material reproduced as part of the publication scheme is provided to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport under a licence from Ordnance Survey and which is being provided as part of the Publication Scheme in order to fulfil its public function. If using material with Ordnance Survey material within the documents you should contact Ordnance Survey to obtain advice on such use. Ordnance Survey’s website is:
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport will not provide Ordnance Survey mapping in any format that would mean that this would infringe its licence and will not provide Ordnance Survey mapping in digital format.
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.
Our photocopying charge per sheet of paper is shown in the tables below:
Black and white photocopying
| Size of paper | Pence per sheet of paper |
|---|---|
| A4 | 10p |
| A3 | 20p |
Colour photocopying
| Size of paper | Pence per sheet of paper |
|---|---|
| A4 | 30p |
| A3 | 30p |
Information provided on CD-Rom will be charged at £1.00p 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 on any other costs to you in relation to our published information.
Contact us
You can contact us for assistance with any aspect of this publication scheme:
Post:
Legal Services
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Consort House
12 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 1HN
E-mail: foi@spt.co.uk
Telephone: 0141 333 3575
Fax: 0141 333 3197
We will also advise you how to ask for information that we do not publish or how to complain if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of this publication scheme.
The classes of information that we publish
We publish information that we hold within the following classes. Once information is published under a class we will continue to make it available for the current and previous two financial years.
Where information has been updated or superseded, only the current version will be available. If you would like to see previous versions, you may make a request to us for that information.
CLASS 1: ABOUT STRATHCLYDE PARTNERSHIP FOR TRANSPORT
Class description: Information about the Partnership, who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed and our external relations.
CLASS 2: HOW WE DELIVER OUR FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES
Class description: Information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering functions and services and information for our service users.
CLASS 3: HOW THE PARTNERSHIP TAKES DECISIONS AND WHAT IT HAS DECIDED
Class description: Information about the decisions we take, how we make decisions and how we involve others
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
|---|---|
| Decision Making | |
| Agendas and minutes of Partnership meetings and its committees | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/minutes-agendas/ |
| The Regional Transport Strategy for the West of Scotland | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/strategy/regional-transport-strategy/ |
| List of Partnership members | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/our-team/members/ |
| Governance documents | |
| Corporate Governance | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/standards-responsibility/corporate-governance/ |
| Partnership Standing Orders | http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Publications/governance_manual.pdf |
| Contract Standing Orders | http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Publications/governance_manual.pdf |
| Scheme of Delegations | http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Publications/governance_manual.pdf |
| Financial Regulations | http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Publications/governance_manual.pdf |
CLASS 4: WHAT THE PARTNERSHIP SPENDS AND HOW IT SPENDS IT
Class description: Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources (in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend public money and what has actually been spent.
CLASS 5: HOW THE PARTNERSHIP MANAGES ITS HUMAN, PHYSICAL AND INFORMATION RESOURCES
Class description: Information about how we manage the human, physical and information resources of the Partnership
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it | |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resources | ||
| Staff Policies/Staff Policies Register | Contact us at details above | |
| Conditions of Service | Contact us at details above | |
| Equality Approach including Disability, Gender, and Race | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/standards-responsibility/equality/ | |
| Careers at SPT | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/our-team/careers/ | |
| Physical Resources | ||
| SPT Property Information including retail and development opportunities | http://www.spt.co.uk//corporate/business/property/ | |
| Filming, photography and events at SPT Locations | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/press-media/filming-photography-events-at-spt-sites/ | |
| Environmental Policy Statement | http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Docs_Business/SPTenvpolicy.pdf | |
| SPT’s Carbon Account | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/standards-responsibility/environmental-policy/ | |
| JourneyShare | http://spt.liftshare.com/ | |
| Walking and Cycling | http://www.spt.co.uk/walking-and-cycling/ | |
| Sustainable Travel Grant Scheme | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/business/travel-planning/travel-plan-support/ | |
| Corporate Safety Policy | Contact us at details above | |
| Information Resources | ||
| SPT’s Publication Scheme | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/standards-responsibility/freedom-of-information/ | |
| Management Framework for the Disposal/Retention of Information Held by the Partnership | Contact us at details above | |
CLASS 6: HOW THE PARTNERSHIP PROCURES GOODS AND SERVICES FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDERS
Class description: Information about how we procure goods and services, and our contracts with external providers
CLASS 7: HOW THE PARTNERSHIP IS PERFORMING
Class description: Information about how the Partnership performs as an organisation, and how well it delivers its functions and services
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual reports and financial statements | http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/about/finance/ | |
| Performance indicators | Contact us at details above. |
CLASS 8: OUR COMMERCIAL PUBLICATIONS
Class description: Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal.
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it | |
|---|---|---|
| Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis sold at market value through a retail outlet | We do not hold or publish information under this category. |
Since 1 January, 2005, members of the public have had the right to access information from Scottish Public Authorities (Section 1 of the Act). On 3 April, 2006, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport was designated as a Scottish Public Authority. Therefore, members of the public have the right to access information held by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport or held on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport subject to certain exceptions and conditions.
The process for obtaining information under section 1 of the Act (Freedom of Information request) is different than obtaining information under the publication scheme.
Before submitting a Freedom of Information request you should check our website as Strathclyde Partnership for Transport places a large amount of information on the website.
However, if you wish to submit a Freedom of Information request, the request must be in writing or in some other permanent recordable form such as an e-mail. The request should:
- Describe the information requested;
- State an address for correspondence;
- Preferably provide a contact number (in case we need to contact you to clarify the information requested);
- State the format in which you would wish to receive the information.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport wishes to assist applicants and therefore we may contact you to clarify the exact nature of the information requested or to discuss the format of the information with you.
Our staff who are responsible for this scheme would be happy to assist you if you wish to contact them with any requests.
The request should be submitted by post to:
SPT Legal Services
Consort House
12 West George Street
Glasgow G2 1HN
or by e-mail to foi@spt.co.uk
Anyone wishing to request information under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 should also submit their request to the above postal or e-mail address, or telephone 0141 333 3575.