Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 states that:
"...any person who requests information from a Scottish public authority which holds it is entitled to be given it by the authority."
SCRA endeavours to comply with both the letter and the spirit of the legislation. Please read on to find out how you can request information from us.
SCRA already publishes a great deal of information and research data which may be of interest to you. Please check SCRA’s Publication Scheme first as the information you are looking for may already be available.
If you can't find the information you are looking for, please email us at inforequest@scra.gsi.gov.uk to make an information request. We are legally obliged to respond to you within 20 working days in one of the following ways:
- To release in full the information you have requested,
- To release the information in part, where one or more of the legal exemptions under the Act applies,
- To withhold the information entirely if it is covered by one or more of the legal exemptions under the Act,
- To tell you that we do not hold the information that you have requested.
If, after the review, you are still dissatisfied, you have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner. For further information please visit www.itspublicknowledge.info
Statistics
To date, SCRA has received and responded to over 700 requests for information from people including:
- Journalists
- Local authorities
- MSPs
- Members of the public, including parents
- Academics and researchers
- Non-Governmental Organisations (e.g. charities)
Data Protection
SCRA is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a data controller with respect to the Data Protection Act 1998, which grants individuals certain rights in relation to accessing personal data. The Act also ensures that those who record and use personal information must be open about how the information is used and must follow the eight principles of good information handling. These are that the personal data is:
- Processed fairly and lawfully
- Processed for limited purposes
- Adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Accurate and up-to-date
- Not kept longer than necessary
- Processed in accordance with the data subject's right
- Secure
- Not transferred to countries outside European Economic Area (EEA) where the rights of data subjects are not protected
Through the subject access provisions of the Act, individuals are entitled to have a copy of any personal data held on them. The “data subject”, the person to whom the personal data refers, must make a written request for this information. For children under 12, requests will usually be made by parents or guardians acting on the child’s behalf. For children aged from 12 to 15, SCRA is required to check that the child has consented to the request made by their parent or guardian.
Although there is currently no fee for this service, proof of identification must be provided. Please note that, once we have received your request and verified all identifications required, the process to provide you with the information requested can take up to 40 days. The Data Protection Act 1998 details specific exemptions to a subject’s access rights and SCRA will assess each request to ensure that their responses comply with the Act.
All requests should be emailed to inforequest@scra.gsi.gov.uk. If this request is in relation to a child referral then, the appropriate Regional Service Development Manager will contact you about your request. All other requests will be handled by SCRA’s IS Security and Technical Assurance Officer.
