Awareness Training Seminar Freedom of Information 20 th September 2004

Outline 1. Objectives for the Seminar 2. Overview & Background 3. Publication Scheme 4. Request Procedures 5. Retention & Disposal Schedule 6. Summary 7. Questions/Answers

Overview & Background Edmund Thom Head 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 1 ST 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 Ekin Librarian

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: Classes Classes 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: tto be told whether or not a public authority holds the information they seek and, if so, tto have that information communicated to them

Request Procedures Mark Jamison IT & 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 & Address Date received Phone Number Fax Number 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 Craig Admin 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 Thom Head 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