The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides a right of access to all recorded information held by public authorities. The University is a public authority as defined by the Act.
The University strives to be as open as possible and is willing to share information about its activities.
The main way in which we provide information is via the University’s website. You can browse the different categories of information or use the search facility to locate a particular item.
Written requests for information should be sent to:
Freedom of Information Officer
Liverpool Hope University
Hope Park
Liverpool
L16 9JD
E: foi@hope.ac.uk
Appeals and complaints
Appeals against a Refusal Notice issued in response to a request for information must be made in writing to:
Mr Derrick Dykins
Head of Committee Secretariat
Liverpool Hope University
Hope Park
Liverpool
L16 9JD
E: dykinsd@hope.ac.uk
Appeals will be acknowledged within five working days. A full response to the appeal will normally be sent directly to the enquirer within a further ten working days. In the case of a more complex review, in particular when a public interest test is involved, the timescale may be longer but a response will be issued within thirty days.
Complaints in respect of the University’s Publications Scheme should also be addressed to the Head of Committee Secretariat.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your appeal, you can appeal further to the Information Commissioner, the independent body which oversees the Freedom of Information Act, at the address below:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Feedback
It is important that the Publications Scheme meets your needs and we welcome any comments and suggestions to improve the provision of information. Any questions or comments about the scheme should be sent to:
Freedom of Information Officer
Liverpool Hope University
Hope Park
Liverpool
L16 9JD
E: foi@hope.ac.uk
What is a publication scheme?
A publication scheme is a document which describes the information a public authority publishes, or intends to publish. In this context, 'publish' means to make information available routinely. The descriptions are called 'classes of information'. The scheme is not a list of the actual publications, because this will change as new material is published or existing material revised. It is, however, the public authority's commitment to make available the information described.
A publication scheme must set out the classes, or categories, of information published. It must also make clear how the information described can be accessed and whether or not charges will be made.
The Model Publication Scheme for Higher Education
The University has adopted the Model Publication Scheme prepared for the Higher Education sector by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The model was designed for universities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and came into effect in January 2009. Details of the model scheme can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website.
In accordance with the Model Publication Scheme for Higher Education, the University's publication scheme sets out the information held by the University according to the categories listed.
If you have any further queries relating to the University's Publication Scheme, or have an FOI-related query for information that you cannot find on the University’s website, please email foi@hope.ac.uk
Getting information not listed in the Publication Scheme
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the “Act”), individuals have the right to request any information held by the University which is not already available through the Publication Scheme.
Requests should be made in writing and the University is required to respond within 20 working days. The response will confirm whether the University holds the information and will either
a) provide a copy or a summary of the information, or arrange for you to inspect the information
or
b) give reasons why the information has been withheld.
The University is not required to disclose information to which an exemption to the Act legitimately applies. The University will explain to you in a Refusal Notice why the information is not being released, and may be required to justify its decision to the Information Commissioner.
The University may charge a fee for providing the information, which will be calculated in accordance with the Fee Regulations. Further details are provided in the section on Charges.
Written requests for information should be sent to:
Freedom of Information Officer
University Secretary’s Office
Liverpool Hope University
Hope Park
Liverpool
L16 9JD
E: foi@hope.ac.uk
Material which is published and accessed on the University website is available free of charge.
Charges may be made for information subject to the The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
The cost limit for compliance with a Freedom of Information Act request is £450. When estimating the cost of compliance, the University will take into consideration the cost of determining whether we hold the information requested; locating and retrieving the information and staff time associated with these activities (currently calculated at £25 per hour).
If the cost limit is not exceeded, the University will normally provide the information free of charge. However, for substantial or complex requests, the University may charge for disbursements associated with providing the information in the requested format, eg photocopying and postage. In such cases, we will issue a Fees Notice and the 20 working day limit for responding to the request will be suspended and will start again when we receive payment. If we do not receive payment within three months, the University is not obliged to comply with your request.
Where we estimate that the cost limit will be exceeded, the University will inform you and explain what, if any, information could be provided within the cost limit. The University is not obliged to comply with requests which exceed the cost limit and we may issue a Refusal Notice. However, if you indicate that you are willing to pay the costs and we decide to proceed with your request, we will issue a Fees Notice and the time limits for responding to your request as described above will apply.
