Other Questions
What is a Publication Scheme?
The Act requires the University to maintain a publication scheme that is approved by the Information Commissioner's Office. A publication scheme is essentially a classified index to information that the University holds which is intended to be made routinely available to the public.
I often get questionnaires sent to me. Do these count as FOI requests?
Does the questionnaire ask for existing recorded information? If it does, it could be classed as a valid FOI request. However, you should bear in mind that there is no obligation under the Act to create new recorded information in response to an FOI request. Therefore, questions which ask for judgements and opinions may not be valid FOI requests.
I am a member of several professional email lists. Does a question asking members for information constitute an FOI request?
It is highly unlikely that a question submitted to an email list would be regarded as an FOI request, unless specifically labelled as such.
Will University librarians need to deal with FOI requests from students in order to help them complete their assignments?
No. The FOI Act does not require University librarians to do research for readers. The library's resources are exempt from individual access requests because the information is already 'reasonably accessible' (s21).
