The Level of Service You Should Expect

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 makes it a legal necessity for public organisations to have a Publication Scheme. The Act is challenged with the task of reversing the working premise that everything is secret (unless otherwise stated) to a position where everything is public unless it falls into specified excepted cases. It provides a range of useful information for those interested in openness in the public sector.

Information Sources

Information which is available from the University is accessible from the Registrar's Office, where details of published information specific to this department is also available. Requests for information and response times from the University's perspective are detailed under the Act.

This function covers the structuring of 150,000 documents into electronic structured records each year. The software employed incorporates a two-tier system of retention definition - temporary and permanent. Search and retrieval techniques can be defined by document type and information is retrievable within seconds.

The importance of ensuring good records management within the University is becoming more relevant as the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act compel us to implement effective records management strategies.

The Department archives all paperwork associated with students registering with the University through central registration processes and is accountable for developing and sustaining a trustworthy system of storage of records. More recently we have implemented electronic storage of student records.

For the above reasons a Service Level Agreement has been established with our service providers to ensure procedures and processes are robust and fit with the requirements recommended by the University’s Internal Auditors.

The Agreement assists with:

• Developing and sustaining a sound process for electronic records management;
• Providing accountability to the University and its Internal Auditors;
• Developing a systems approach to the development and structuring of electronic records in collaboration with our service providers.

Our storage facility has the capacity to house electronic records for a thirty-year period.