Freedom of Information

Overview

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 imposes a duty on public authorities such as
University College London:

1. To confirm or deny that the information requested is held.
2. If the information is held, to communicate it to the applicant.

Anyone may make a request in writing for recorded information held by or on behalf of
UCL, and UCL must comply promptly and within 20 working days. Unless subject to one
of 24 exemptions described by the Act, the information must be provided. In some
circumstances an additional 20 working days may be permitted to consider the
application of qualified exemptions that require a public interest test.

The Information Commissioner’s Office is the independent regulatory authority for the
Act, and the avenue of appeal for requests that have not been resolved to the
applicant’s satisfaction.

Contents include

•    Introduction
•    Scope
•    Roles and responsibilities
•    Publication Scheme 
•    Codes of practice
•    Handling and tracking of requests
•    Exemptions and the public interest test
•    Personal information
•    Third party information
•    Fees
•    Complaints
 

Who should read this policy

•    All staff
•    Contractors
•    Temporary staff
•    Students
•    Visitors
•    Managers
•    Teaching staff
•    Student support staff
•    Researchers
•    Parents or anyone wishing to submit a FOI request

Policy

Freedom of Information Policy (PDF)