Freedom of information and Environmental information requests

Before submitting any request for information, we encourage you to check our publication scheme to ensure the information is not already publicly available to save time and resources.

If your request is for statistical data please consider contacting HESA and consulting their website which provides a wealth of data on staff and students, often down to institutional level. If information is available via HESA, regardless of whether there is a charge, we will refer you to their resources.

For a request to be valid under FOIA it must:

• be made in writing;
• include your name and an address for correspondence;
• describe the information you are requesting.

Please email FOI and Environmental Information requests to inforequest@cardiff.ac.uk.

If it is not clear from your correspondence what information you are looking for, we will need to ask you for clarification, and this may affect the timeframe for providing a response. Information regarding the legal requirements for making a valid request under FOIA and EIR is available on the Information Commissioner's website.

You can expect a response from us within 20 working days of the receipt of your request and our duty is to:

• confirm whether we hold the information and
• either provide a copy or summary of the information or tell you why the information has been withheld

Exemptions

There are a number of types of information that the University holds which we are not required to release. These are referred to as exemptions and include:

• personal data covered under the Data Protection Act
• information that is to be published in the future
• information that would prejudice commercial interests
• security details and information that might endanger any person
• information that would prejudice the conduct of public affairs
• information that was originally provided in confidence and is still confidential in legal terms
• information available in our publication scheme.

In some cases we are required to consider the public interest in disclosing the information and we will explain this to you in our response. Where the University refuses to release information in response to a request we will state which exemption applies and normally provide an explanation.  Further, in certain circumstances legislation we are not obliged to confirm or deny whether we hold the requested information and our response will set out our reasons.

The University reserves the right to refuse vexatious and repeated request.

Individuals wishing to have access to personal data held by the University under the Data Protection law can send a subject access request.

Costs and charges

Charges may be made where the costs of reproducing the information in the format requested and any postage/courier fees required total £10 or more. Usually no charge will be made for staff time in responding to the request.

Under FOIA we are not required to respond to requests where it would cost us more than £450 in staff time to locate and retrieve the information.

If we choose to respond to such a request, a fees notice would be issued to the enquirer setting out the estimated costs involved. The work would only proceed when the fee had been collected. If the fee was not collected within 60 working days the request will be deemed to be withdrawn.

Further information can be found in our Information Charging policy.

Internal review requests

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your request, or the process of handling your request, you can submit a request for an Internal Review in writing to:

email: inforequest@cardiff.ac.uk or:

Head of Compliance and Risk, University Secretary's Office
Cardiff University
McKenzie House
30-36 Newport Road
Cardiff
CF24 0DE

Your submission for an Internal Review should be made within 40 working days of the issue of our initial response to your request. Please provide your unique reference number of your request, information on why you are dissatisfied and any detail you would like us to consider as part of the Internal Review process.

We will aim to provide you with a response to your request for an Internal Review within 20 working days.  We will let you know if we expect the review to take longer than 20 days and provide you with an anticipated date by which you can expect to receive a response.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome to your request for an Internal Review you have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner’s Office at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF