Freedom of Information

Information Governance

Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 requires public authorities to adopt a publication scheme which is a means of making information available pro-actively.

Robert Gordon University has regard to the public interest in the information it holds and is mindful of the values of openness and honesty. Hence, it has adopted the Model Publication Scheme 2018 set forth by the Scottish Information Commissioner for the Scottish Higher Education sector. The university's publication scheme consists of different classes or categories of information, which we publish and are available free of charge, except in particular cases where a small fee may be required.  Before making a Freedom of Information request to the university, you may wish to consult the publication scheme first as the information may be published through the publication scheme.

View the latest University Publication Scheme and its wholly owned subsidiaries:

Requesting Information

Information requests must be in writing or in some other recordable form, with the name and address of the applicant and a description of the information required and the university has 20 working days in which to respond. They can be made via post, phone, emailFacebook or Twitter and we will aim to fulfil them as long as the information requested does not fall into one of the exempt categories.

The University receives around 300 requests per year for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Most information listed in the University Publication Scheme is available on our website. However, if the information you request is not available on the website but is listed in our publication scheme, we will send it to you by email or whichever format you chose wherever practicable.

A fee may be charged in accordance with the Fees Regulations and will not process the request until the fee is paid. It can refuse to process a request if it estimates that the cost to the University will be above the upper limit specified in the Fees Regulation.

Please note that under Section 8 of the Act a valid request must state the name of the applicant, and an address for correspondence. It must also describe the information requested.

Categories of Information

View the individual categories of information:

Exemptions

The university's aim is to be as open as possible. However, some information may be withheld from any of the classes of information where we consider that disclosure may seriously prejudice law enforcement, legal proceedings or our regulatory activity, or where the disclosure is otherwise prohibited by law.

We may also withhold information if its disclosure would breach the law of confidentiality, if it would seriously prejudice the commercial interests of any person or organisation, or if the information is personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. In some cases we may be able to supply you with an edited version of the publication, with sensitive information removed.

In these cases, we will withhold the information and indicate why the information is being withheld. If you wish to complain about information which is being withheld from you, please read the Complaints section.

Complaints

Complaints can be made by requesting a formal review if we do not deal with your information request adequately.

For example, if you feel that:

  • we have been slow in dealing with your request
  • the information supplied is inadequate
  • the exemptions that we have applied are not relevant in your case
  • the fee charged is not proportionate

Please submit your complaints to foi@rgu.ac.uk

If we are still unable to resolve your complaint, you can complain to the Scottish Information Commissioner, who oversees the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002:

Scottish Information Commissioner,
Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road,
St Andrews, Fife
KY16 9DS

Email: enquiries@itspublicknowledge.info
Tel: +44 (0)1334 464610
Fax: +44 (0)1334 464611

Copyright

Information obtained from the university's publication scheme can be copied or reproduced without formal permission so long as it is copied or reproduced accurately, is not used in a misleading context, and provided that the source of the material is identified and the copyright status acknowledged. Robert Gordon University will assert its Intellectual Property Rights & Copyright where it is appropriate.

The publication scheme includes links to third party organisations that hold information about the university. You are recommended to obtain the consent of the third party before the information obtained via the publication scheme is copied.

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