Under Section 23 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

The aim of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (which is referred to as the Act throughout the remainder of this document) is to allow the public greater access to information held by public authorities in Scotland. The Act contains a detailed list of the public authorities covered but the following are some of the public authorities who are obliged to comply with the Act:

• The Scottish Government and its agencies;
• Local Authorities;
• National Heath Service including health boards and trusts;
• Schools, Colleges and Universities;
• The Scottish Parliament;
• The Police;
• Regional Transport Partnerships.

Other bodies can be added by the Scottish Ministers.

The Act requires public authorities to adopt and maintain a publication scheme and to respond to requests from individuals for information under the Act.

The first duty is intended to ensure that public authorities should be clear and proactive about the information they will make public and in many cases already do make public.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is committed to the principles of openness and transparency in the conduct of its business. It is intended that this scheme which has been prepared under section 23 of the Act will increase the awareness of the Partnership's business and day to day decision making processes.

Information on other aspects of the Act can be found below. Further details concerning the Act can be obtained from the office of the Scottish Information Commissioner.

For more information about SPT, click here.

2.1 What is a Publication Scheme?

Under section 23 of the Act, authorities such as local authorities and other public bodies such as Strathclyde Partnership for Transport are required to prepare, adopt and maintain a scheme which sets out information that it makes available to the public and in what format the information can be obtained. This scheme known as a Publication Scheme has to be approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner.

2.2 How was the Publication Scheme formulated?

When formulating Strathclyde Partnership for Transport's scheme we considered the public interest in providing information about:

• The services provided by us;
• The costs of those services;
• How services are provided;
• Our decision making process;
• The facts upon which we make our decisions which are of importance to the public.

As this is a relatively new body, but the functions of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE) and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority (SPTA) transferred to this body, we also considered:

• What information was previously made available to the public by SPTA;
• What information had been requested under the Freedom of Information legislation from SPTA;
• What information was previously published by SPTE;
• What information was previously published by WESTRANS;
• What information was not published by any of the bodies but which should be published.

We have split our categories into four classes of information that can be accessed under the scheme. The four classes of information are:

• Policies and Strategies;
• Agenda, Reports and Minutes of meetings of the Partnership;
• Corporate Information;
• Operations and Services.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport's aim is to be as open as possible in defining the classes of information as widely as possible. However, there may be some information withheld as indicated below. In cases where we withhold information we will indicate why the information is being withheld.

These general categories have been divided into sub-classes of information and details of these are also provided.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport'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 Strathclyde Partnership for Transport 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.

This publication scheme lists information that is or will be routinely published by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. The information published under the scheme can be accessed, subject to the payment of the relevant fees, as follows:

On the Internet

As you will see, most of the information listed in our publication scheme is available on our website.

By post

Most of the information is available in a paper copy form. Please address your request to:

Ross MacKenzie
Partnership Information Officer
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Consort House
12 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 1HN

Telephone: 0141 333 3575

E-mail: ross.mackenzie@spt.co.uk

By e-mail

You can request information by e-mail using the link provided above. If the information is not available on the internet, but is held electronically, this information will be sent to you by e-mail where practicable.

When requesting information please include the following details:

• Your name and address;
• A note of the information or documents you would like to see;
• A contact telephone number.

By telephone

Information from the publication scheme can be requested over the telephone. Please provide full contact details as above.

In person

For some of the information, such a large maps and plans (where it is impractical to have copies made), or certain classes of information, you may require to come to our offices. You will need to make an appointment to view the information. You should contact the person responsible for the day to day management of the scheme.

Further assistance

If you are not satisfied with the assistance/response you get from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport or if we have not been able to resolve your complaint and you feel that a formal complaint needs to be made then this should be addressed to:

The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner
Kilburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife, KY16 9DS

Useful links

Scottish Information Commissioner

Information Commissioner's Office

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

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.

Personal data is specifically excluded under the Act. However, the Data Protection Act 1998 entitles you to be told what personal information Strathclyde Partnership for Transport holds about you. You can also obtain a copy of the data held. These rights are subject to exemptions and are subject to the payment of a fee of £10.

It is helpful if any requests under the Data Protection Act 1998 state specifically what information is being sought and that it is being sought under the Data Protection Act in order that the request can be processed efficiently. Please note that the requests for personal data must be in writing - e-mail and telephone requests are not acceptable.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport may require proof of identity before responding to your request.

Data Protection issues are dealt with by the UK Information Commissioner.

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone 01625 545745

Website: http://www.ico.gov.uk/
E-mail: mail@ico.gsi.gov.ukmail

Scottish Public Authorities are recommended to carry out a full information audit and to adopt an archiving policy which facilitates the proper preservation and management of its records. In view of the timescales a full information audit cannot be carried out prior to the adoption of the publication scheme.

However, a full information audit will be undertaken over the next 18 months and policies for the retention and destruction of information will be reviewed/implemented. This section will be updated to accommodate the outcome of the information audit.

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. Click here for more details of these categories.

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. Visit the Ordnance Survey website.

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.

Wherever possible, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport will supply the material contained in the publication scheme free of charge. In the event that it is necessary to apply a charge (for example where the document requested is large or external printers have to be used to reproduce the information) details of the charges will be advised in advance of the information being provided.

The charges applicable for documents copied by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport are 10p per A4 sheet.

Where external printers have to be used - if the facilities to copy the documentation do not exist in-house - the external printers' fees will be charged.

If the information can be sent by e-mail no charges will be made.

Examples of documents available are listed along with the formats in which they can be supplied. Click here for details.