Freedom of Information Act 2000

Publication scheme

Introduction

Adopting a publication scheme is a requirement of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("the Act") which was implemented to improve access to information held by public authorities in order to increase the transparency of how and why public authorities act and make decisions as they do. The University is a public authority under the Act. Any companies wholly owned by a public authority also become public authorities for the purpose of the Act.

The University of Portsmouth Enterprise Limited (UPEL) is a limited company which is a fully owned subsidiary of the University of Portsmouth. UPEL has developed this publication scheme to complement the University of Portsmouth's scheme. UPEL is committed to publishing the information it describes.

What is a publication scheme?

A publication scheme is a document setting out groups of information that must be made accessible by the public authority (wholly owned company) to improve access to the information. This document is then expanded - in a publications list ? to identify the actual documents that hold the required information.

The first publication schemes were validated by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) until 31 December 2008. In renewing the schemes, the ICO has amended the format and content of the model scheme for wholly owned companies and therefore the following publication scheme (live from January 2009) is based on the new requirements.

What is in the publication scheme?

The new publication scheme contains seven classes of information designed to group together the policies and procedures of UPEL together into sets so that information can be found quickly.

The classes of information are:

It is possible that some of these classes of information will be empty as UPEL does not engage in some of the activities suggested by the classes. Where a wholly owned company does not hold the information required, it is not expected by the ICO to make any documentation available. Reference will be made to the fact that no information is held, if appropriate.

How to access information in the publication scheme

The Publication Scheme will help you to identify in which class the information you require can be found. You can then look this class up in the Publication List where you will find any relevant policies, procedures or other forms of information. Where possible you can view or download the information straight from the publication scheme. If the document is either not available electronically or you cannot download it, hard copies can be requested from the UPEL Company Secretary.

Contact details

Address: UPEL Company Secretary, University House, Winston Churchill Avenue, Portsmouth PO1 2UP
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 3306
Fax: +44 (0)23 9284 4861

Charging

There will normally be no charge for providing single items of information in the publication scheme. However, UPEL reserves the right to make a charge for multiple items, in order to cover administrative costs. Alternative formats may be arranged by special request, but there may also be a charge to cover production costs.

Accessing information not covered by the publication scheme

It is also possible to request information held by UPEL that is not available through this publication scheme. Requests should be made in writing, preferably to the UPEL Company Secretary. UPEL has 20 working days in which to respond but will do so sooner, if possible. It is possible that a fee may be charged for the requested information and any information covered by an exemption under the Act may not be released. (Note: whilst the page linked above refers to obtaining information from the University, the same procedures apply to obtaining information from UPEL.)

Complaints and appeals

If you are not satisfied with the way that we have handled a request for information or believe that we have not included information in the publication list that you believe should appear, you have the right to complain / appeal.

Questions, comments or complaints relating to the publication scheme should be sent to the UPEL Company Secretary at the address above.

The ICO is responsible for enforcing the operation of publication schemes under the Act and, if you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint to UPEL, you may appeal directly to the ICO:

Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 9PH
Tel: +44 (0)1625 545745
Online: Electronic complaint form

Details of information classes

Each section is divided into sub-headings which more closely resemble the actual information being made available.

1. Who we are and what we do

This group provides background information on how UPEL was set up, including its legal status of the University and contact details.

  • 1.1 Roles and responsibilities ? an outline of the role of UPEL and its relationship with the University of Portsmouth.
  • 1.2 Articles of Association
  • 1.3 Board membership ? details of Board members.
  • 1.4 Senior executives ? details and responsibilities of those making strategic and operational decisions about providing UPEL's services.
  • 1.5 Staff structure
  • 1.6 Contact points - details of how to contact UPEL.

2. What we spend and how we spend it

This group includes financial information relating to actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit.

  • 2.1 Annual accounts ? for the current and previous financial year
  • 2.2 Loans sanctioned
  • 2.3 Procurement procedures
  • 2.4 Staff and board members' allowances and expenses ? details of allowances and expenses that can be incurred or claimed.

3. What our priorities are and how we are doing

This class sets out information from the last three years relating to the University's strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews.

  • 3.1 Any reports indicating main priorities and progress against them
  • 3.2 Annual report

4. How we make decisions

  • 4.1 Minutes of meetings of the Board ? minutes of meetings where key decisions about providing services are made. These minutes will not include any confidential items of business.

5. Our policies and procedures

This class of information contains details of written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering UPEL services and responsibilities.

  • 5.1 Policies and procedures for conducting UPEL business
  • 5.2 Procedures and policies for delivering our services
  • 5.3 Procedures and policies for recruiting and employing staff ? codes of practice, memoranda of understanding and similar information, equality and diversity, health and safety policies.
  • 5.4 Customer service ? standards for providing services to the company's customers, including any complaints procedure.
  • 5.5 Records management and personal data policies ? including information security policies, records retention, destruction and archive policies and data protection policies.
  • 5.6 Charging regimes and policies ? details of any statutory charging regimes.

6. Lists and registers

This class of information holds details of any information UPEL is legally required to hold in publicly available registers.

  • 6.1 Any lists or registers that may be required to be produced in the conduct of UPEL business
  • 6.2 Any property asset list
  • 6.3 Disclosure logs ? not held by UPEL.

7. The Services we offer

This class of information (an extension of the first class of information) includes details of services offered by UPEL, including leaflets, guidance and newsletters.

  • Details of UPEL services
  • Services for which the company is entitled to recover a fee, together with those fees
  • Leaflets
  • Media releases