Freedom Of Information
Overview of the FOI Act and UCL's Publication Scheme.
he Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 imposes a duty on public authorities such as UCL:
- To confirm or deny that the information requested is held.
- 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 in any case within 20 working days. Unless subject to one of 23 exemptions described by the Act, the information must be provided.
UCL maintains a Publication Scheme, listing the classes of information and the documents that it routinely publishes or intends to publish. The Publication Scheme is on UCL’s website and hard copies of documents can be obtained from the Freedom of Information Officer or from relevant departments. The Scheme will be reviewed annually.
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.