Freedom of Information
Guide to information available through our Publication Scheme
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act) requires Scottish public authorities to produce and maintain a publication scheme. Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- publish the classes of information that they make routinely available;
- tell the public how to access the information and what it might cost.
Bòrd na Gàidhlig has adopted the Model Publication Scheme 2011 produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner He has approved this scheme until 31 May 2015.
- The purpose of this Guide to Information is to:
- allow the public to see what information is available (and what is not available) in relation to each class;
- state what charges may be applied;
- explain how to find the information easily;
- provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information; and
- explain how to request information we hold that has not been published
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model scheme is, wherever possible, available on our website. We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online or by inspection at our premises. For example, we can usually arrange to send information to you in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this - see charges below).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information below. If a document contains information that is exempt under Scotland's freedom of information laws (for example sensitive personal information or a trade secret), we will remove or 'black out' the information before publication and explain why.
Copyright
Where Bòrd na Gàidhlig holds the copyright in its published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- it is copied or reproduced accurately;
- it is not used in a misleading context; and
- the source of the material is identified.
Where Bòrd na Gàidhlig does not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make this clear.
Charges
This section explains when we may make a charge for our publications and how any charge will be calculated. There is no charge to view information on our website or at our premises.
We may charge for providing information to you, but we will charge you no more than it actually costs us to do so. We will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you.
Our photocopying charge per side of paper is shown in the tables below:
Black and White Photocopying
- A4: 10p per sheet
Colour photocopying
- A4: 20p per sheet
Information provided on CD-Rom will be charged at 50p per computer disc.
Postage costs will be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you. Our charge is for sending info by Royal Mail First Class.
When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy, pro rata, of the total print run.
We do not pass on any other costs to you in relation to our published information.
Please note that this charging schedule does not apply to our commercial publications (see Class 8 below). These items are offered for sale through retail outlets such as book shops, academic journal websites or museum shops and their price reflects a 'market value' which may include the cost of production.
Contact us
You can make a request for infomration by contacting:
Alasdair MacKinnon,
Head of Finance & Corporate Affairs,
Bòrd na Gàidhlig,
Darach House,
Stoneyfield Business Park,
Inverness.
IV2 7PA
Tel: 01463 225 454
Fax: 01463 716 217
Email: oifis@gaidhlig.org.uk
Responding to Requests for Information
Once we receive your request, we will investigate firstly whether we hold the information you require, and secondly whether there are any exemptions governing the release of the information. [Details on possible exemptions that might apply are available in the Act]. Providing no exemptions apply to the information requested, Bòrd na Gàidhlig is obliged to provide the information requested within 20 working days.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your request for information you should contact the Bòrd na Gàidhlig officer who sent your response to discuss your concerns. If you feel this has not addressed your concerns you can write directly to Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s Ceannard (CEO) explaining how we have not met the requirements of your request. He will then carry out an independent, internal review of our response and aim to resolve any problems. If you wish to do this, you should make your request within 40 working days or receiving the outcome of your request. Your request must be in a recordable format (letter, email, audio tape, etc), and you will receive a full response to your request for review within 20 working days of its receipt. The address of the CEO is as follows:
John Angus MacKay
Ceannard
Bòrd na Gàidhlig,
Darach House,
Stoneyfield Business Park,
Inverness.
IV2 7PA
E-mail: iaina@gaidhlig.org.uk
If after these first two steps you feel we have not met your needs you can write to the Scottish Information Commissioner within six months of receiving the outcome of our review. The Scottish Information Commissioners contact details are:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road,
St Andrews,
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Fax: 01334 464611
e-mail: enquiries@itspublicknowledge.info
The classes of information that we publish
We publish information that we hold within the following classes. Once information is published under a class we will continue to make it available for the current and previous two financial years.
Where information has been updated or superseded, only the current version will be available. If you would like to see previous versions, you may make a request to us for that information.
The classes are:
- Class 1: About Bòrd na Gàidhlig
- Class 2: How we deliver our functions and services
- Class 3: How Bòrd na Gàidhlig takes decisions and what is has decided
- Class 4: What Bòrd na Gàidhlig spends and how it spends it
- Class 5: How Bòrd na Gàidhlig manages its human, physical and information resources
- Class 6: How Bòrd na Gàidhlig procures goods and services from external providers
- Class 7: How Bòrd na Gàidhlig is performing
- Class 8: Our commercial publications
The Bill for this Act of the Scottish Parliament was passed by the Parliament on 24th April 2002 and received Royal Assent on 28th May 2002.
An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision for the disclosure of information held by Scottish public authorities or by persons providing services for them; and for connected purposes.
Follow the link below to view the text of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
