Freedom of Information - Publication Scheme

Guide to information available through our Publication Scheme

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 2011 produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner.

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

SPT's aim is to be as open as possible. However, the Act permits a limited number of exemptions from the requirement to disclose information.

There may be some circumstances where it is necessary to withhold information from any of the classes of information set out in this scheme where we consider that disclosure, for example, may prejudice law enforcement or legal proceedings, may be exempt or where the disclosure is otherwise prohibited by law.

We may also withhold information that may prejudice the commercial interests or confidentiality of any person or organisation, including SPT, and information which is personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998.

In these cases we will withhold the information and indicate why the information is being withheld.

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. 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.

Some of the material available by virtue of the publication scheme may be subject to third party copyright. You should seek the consent of the copyright owner if you wish to reproduce any of this information.

Some works produced by the government qualify for Crown copyright protection which means that some of these materials can be reproduced without a licence. More details of these categories can be found at:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copyright/copyright-guidance/index.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.

Accessing Information not included in the Publication Scheme

As indicated, this scheme lists the information that is or will be routinely made available. However, members of the public have further rights that enable them to access information from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

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.

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, 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

Colour photocopying

Size of paper	Pence per sheet of paper
A4	20p

Information provided on CD-Rom will be charged at 50p per computer disc.

Postage costs will be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you. Our charge is for sending information by Royal Mail First Class.

When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy, pro rata, 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:

by post to:

Legal Services
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Consort House
12 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 1HN

E-mail to : 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.