Awareness Training Seminar
Freedom of Information20th September 2004
Outline
1. Objectives for the Seminar2. Overview & Background3. Publication Scheme4. Request Procedures5. Retention & Disposal Schedule6. Summary7. Questions/Answers
Overview & Background
Edmund ThomHead of Corporate Services
Objectives
At the end of the Session you will
UNDERSTAND the objectives of the Act
UNDERSTAND basic FOI procedures
UNDERSTAND its impact on your work
CONSIDER the next steps
Overview & Background
Freedom of Information Act 2000• Act is brought fully into force on
1ST JANUARY 2005• NIPEC Working Group
• Edmund Thom• Hazel Craig• Susan Ekin• Mark Jamison
NIPEC’s Responsibilities
Produce and maintain its Publication Scheme
Deal with individual requests for information when the right of access comes into force
NIPEC is obliged to produce information recorded both before and after the Act was passed
Vital that records are held within a structured Records Management System
Publication Scheme
Susan EkinLibrarian
FOI Legislation
Under the terms of the FOI Act, every Publication Scheme must specify
Classes of information which a public authority publishes or intends to publish
The manner in which the information is, or will be, published
Whether the information will be supplied at a cost or whether it is free of charge
Appeals procedure
Publication Scheme: ClassesClasses have been drawn up to ensure ease of access by the public to available information.Some classes may contain data subject to exemptions and this is made clear within the Scheme. Following are some examples:
Information may be obtained elsewhere Information is required for
investigations or legal proceedings Personal data Commercial interests
Publication Scheme: Groups
NIPEC’s published information has been arranged into five broad groups:
Group One – About the Organisation Group Two – Policy and Planning Group Three – Finance Group Four – Internal Guidance Group Five – External Guidance
Each Group is then broken down into sub-sections, with a description of the
type of document included, availability and cost if applicable
Publication Scheme: Groups
Group 1 – About the Organisation Organisational Structure Communication Minutes of meetings
Group 2 – Policy and Planning Corporate Strategies Business Plans Reports & Consultations
Personnel Issues (excluding personal data)
ICT Health & Safety Complaints
Publication Scheme: Groups
Group 3 - Finance Annual Accounts Internal Financial Guidance
Group 4 – Internal Guidance
Publication Scheme: Groups
Group 5 – External Guidance Professional Advice
Future Publication Development Framework
The FOI Legislation
The Freedom of Information Act confers two statutory rights on members of the public:
to be told whether or not a public authority holds the information they seek and, if so,
to have that information communicated to them
Request Procedures
Mark JamisonIT & Information Officer
Prerequisites
Within NIPEC All staff should be aware of what to do
if they receive a request for information
Effective Records Management structures are in place
A member of staff is identified to co-ordinate responses
A recording mechanism is put in place to list current and previous requests
The Deadline
All FOI requests must be answered within 20 working days, beginning from receipt of request
Time away from Office Holidays Sickness
May seem a long time, but take into account
The NIPEC FOI Request Procedure
Receipt of Information
Check, Clarify, Acknowledge
Search & Fees
Retrieve & Release
Step One – Receipt of Information
Is it a valid request?
Can the request be dealt with in the normal course of business?
Name & AddressDate received
Phone NumberFax NumberEmail Address
MINIMUM DESIRABLE
If the request can be answered within 24 hours, then it should be.
NIPEC MINIMUM
Step Two – Check, Clarify, Acknowledge
Log request onto FOI Database
Contact Details
Description of Request
Transfer within NIPEC
Deadline
Step Two – Check, Clarify, Acknowledge
Log request onto FOI Database If request is invalid
Contact requester for clarification Check Publication Scheme Check Previous Requests Acknowledge receipt of the request and
confirm in writing
Step Three – Search & Fees
Quick Search/Review If there is a cost, then the requester
is given a period of time to pay amount
Requester is informed whether an exemption is being claimed
Step Four – Retrieve & Release All information relevant to request is now retrieved
and photocopied A review is carried out identifying confidential data
based on the exemptions Noted on photocopied paper Confidential info hidden using Black Marker or Tipp-
Ex Information is recopied (to ensure any hidden info is
completely hidden) and forwarded to ATL for release
Retention & Disposal Schedule
Hazel CraigAdmin Team Leader
Retention & Disposal Schedule
A retention & disposal schedule for documentation within the organisation has been drawn up for NIPEC using the guidelines given by the Department
A copy of this schedule has been made available for all staff in their packs
Retention & Disposal Schedule
A key document for NIPEC
Type of Document Minimum period retained Action required, when
retention period has been reached
Final action
Retention & Disposal Schedule
Final Action
Review – require an appraisal Retain Permanently – e.g. inventories
of permanent equipment Permanent Preservation – e.g. files of
historical value often forwarded to PRONI
Destroy – records of no continuing business/legal value
Yearly Review & Disposal of Documents
Drawn up by NIPEC Working Group
A guide for staff of when action will be taken in regard to the disposal of documents
Covers up to the Year 2010
Responsibility for Disposal of Records
Initially there appears that there is not a lot of work for staff to do, however …
As time progresses …
Work
Time (in Years)
This work will be on a sliding scale involving work with the clerical, administration and professional staff
Summary
Edmund ThomHead of Corporate Services
Summary
This will affect everyone at every level
This covers almost everything NIPEC holds and is fully retrospective
Key Impact Areas Records Staff Work
KEY IMPACT AREA: Records
Manage records better Accurate recording Develop an Archive Policy Improved storage/retrieval
procedures New culture of proactive release of
records
KEY IMPACT AREA: Staff
Improved report writing Provided with policy/procedure
guidelines Improved record keeping Awareness of appeal system
KEY IMPACT AREA: Work
Write objectively Ensure what you write is relevant Record context of file note/record Document reasons for decisions generally Refer to policies in decision making Manage records better: Accurate
recording, filing and retrieval Improved standards of documentation,
culling and archiving of records
“It is a criminal offence to alter, deface or destroy to prevent disclosure of information”
Any Questions
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