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The Freedom of Information Act became law on 30th November 2000, and came into effect on the 1st of January 2005 (the Act can be found at HMSO website and a there is also a link to a copy of their explanatory notes). Under the Act you have a right of access to all types of recorded information held by bodies across the public sector - both personal and non-personal. There are, of course, areas where exemptions apply and these can be found at www.justice.gov.uk/whatwedo/freedomofinformation.htm.
The Act was passed with the aim of fostering a culture of openness, transparency and accountability in Government. SEEDA is committed to comply with the obligations imposed by the Freedom of Information Act.
Main Features of the Freedom of Information Act
- A general right of access to information held by public
authorities in the course of carrying out their public functions, subject to certain conditions and exemptions.
- In most cases where information is exempt from disclosure there
is a duty on public authorities to disclose where, in the view of the public authority, the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption in question.
- A new office of Information Commissioner (see below for contact
details), and a new Information Tribunal, with wide powers to enforce the rights created.
- A duty imposed on public authorities to adopt a scheme for the
publication of information. The schemes, which must be approved by the Commissioner, will specify the classes of information the authority intends to publish, the manner of publication and whether the information is available to the public free of charge or on payment of a fee.
Publication Scheme
Under the Freedom of Information Act, all public authorities are required to make information available through their publication scheme. The publication scheme should contain information which is disclosed routinely, without the need for a written request for that information.
We will add to and develop our publication scheme as more information becomes available. However, should you encounter any problems in accessing information in our publication scheme, require information not listed, or access in an alternative form, please contact us via the online contact form.
The headings used in our Publication Scheme are based on the definition document for Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), provided by the Information Commissioner’s Office. This document, and further guidance on the Freedom of Information Act, can be accessed via www.ico.gov.uk.
To view documents under the new Publication Scheme, please click on one of the headings below:
FOI Disclosure Log
Details and copies of information recently disclosed by SEEDA under Freedom of Information can be viewed on the FOI Disclosure log
Responsibilities
The person with overall responsibility for the publication scheme and for Freedom of Information access requests within the Agency is Paul Lovejoy - Executive Director Strategy & Communications - the individual who has responsibility for daily maintenance of SEEDA Freedom of Information Act procedures is the named contact shown below:
Named Contact
Paul Lovejoy
Executive Director Strategy & Communications SEEDA HQ London Road Guildford Surrey
GU1 1YA
tel: 01483 470133
email:
FOI@seeda.co.uk
Requesting Information
If the information you require is included in the publication scheme then it is available on the website. Links to different sections of the publication scheme can be found above, or you can carry out a search. Where the information you require is available by post, a request can be made in writing to the above named contact.
You can also request information online using the Freedom of Information request form
It is SEEDA's intention that items will be available free of charge, but in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act we do reserve the right to make charges for the information where appropriate, and when the amount of work and cost incurred warrants it.
Please make any accessibility needs clear when contacting us.
Copyright
If you want to re-use or reproduce the publications or information provided by SEEDA from a request under the Freedom of Information Act (for example, commercially or for circulation to third parties) you will, in most cases, need to apply to the Agency for a copyright licence.
Complaints Procedure
As part of our commitment to the highest levels of customer service, we always welcome feedback.
- If you have any concerns about your dealings with us, please contact the member of staff with whom you have been dealing, as it is usually possible to resolve most queries and concerns in this way.
- If you are not satisfied with our response (including FOI, EIR and Data Protection requests), you may ask for your request to be reviewed. This will initially be an internal review carried out by officers of SEEDA. A request for a review should be addressed to Robert Crawford, Chief Operating Officer, email:
robertcrawford@seeda.co.uk
. You will be notified of the outcome within 20 working days.
- If you remain dissatisfied following the internal review, you should put your concerns in writing to the Information Commissioner (an independent statutory body which oversees the operation of the FOI Act and EIR) for an independent assessment and decision on the handling of your request. Details are available at the Information Commissioners Office website.
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