7 December 2018
By email to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Dear Maciej Wójtowicz
I refer to your Freedom of Information request received on 7 December 2018 about the
repatriation of human remains.
Details of any exemptions applied are below. Where any information is “not held”, this is
explained below. Those parts of the University’s response (together with the details of how
to ask the University to review the management of your request, or thereafter to seek a
review by the Scottish Information Commissioner, should you wish to do so – please see
below) constitutes the notice in writing that the information specified is not held by the
University which is required under section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act
2002 (“FOISA”).
Your enquiry and the University’s response.
I am carrying out some research into the storage, retention and repatriation of non-European
ethnological human remains held in UK museums and in university research collections. To
assist with this could you please let me have the following information under the Freedom of
Information Act. All of these questions relate to human remains that are under 1,000 years of
age. If your organisation is not covered by the Freedom of Information Act please consider
supporting this research anyway and providing the information voluntarily. A link to the
research will be provided to all contributers when it is published:
1.
How many non-European human remains do you have in your collection? If you do
not have the exact number, then please provide an approximation based on your normal
method of counting.
2.
How many requests for the repatriation of non-European human remains did you
receive from communities, individuals or institutions outside of Europe prior to the Human
Tissue Act 2004 coming into force? Of these how many were approved?
3.
How many requests for the repatriation of human remains have you had from
communities, individuals or institutions outside of Europe since the Human Tissue Act 2004
came into force?
4.
Of these requests, how many were:
a.
Approved in full, with all of the requested remains being returned to the
communities/individuals in question.
b.
Approved in part with some of the requested remains being returned.
c.
Not approved.
d.
Still awaiting a decision.
5.
For those requests which were not approved please provide a copy of the final
decision letter setting out the reasons.
6. How many human remains do you have in your collection which originated in:
a. Canada
b. New Zealand
c. Australia
Information not held: Abertay University does not use or store human remains.
This concludes the University’s response.
Your right to seek a review of how your information request was managed
If you are not satisfied with our response or our reasoning set out above, you have 40
working days in which to require a review of our decision. Any such request should be put in
writing and should be sent to the University Secretary, Abertay University, at the address
provided below. The request should:
(a) detail your request for a review of our decision to be undertaken
(b) describe the nature of your original request
(c) explain the reasons why you are dissatisfied with our response
University Secretary
Abertay University
Bell Street
Dundee
DD1 1HD
Tel (01382) 308016
E-mail: x.xxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xx.xx
If you remain dissatisfied with how your request for information has been dealt with, you also
have the right, in terms of section 47 of FOISA, and within 6 months, to apply to the Scottish
Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether we have handled your request
properly.
Information relating to your right to seek review is available from the Scottish Information
Commissioner's website:
http://www.itspublicknowledge.info
or by contacting the Scottish Information Commissioner's Office at the following address:
Scottish Information Commissioner,
Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road, St Andrews,
Fife KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Fax: 01334 464611
E-mail: mailto:xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxx
Website: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info
Or via the SIC’s online appeals service:
http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Unhappywiththeresponse/AppealingtoCommi
ssioner.aspx
If you are unhappy with the Commissioner’s decision, you also have the right to appeal
further to the Court of Session, on a point of law only, under section 56 of FOISA. Please
refer to the Commissioner’s website (details above) for further information about your right of
appeal to the Court of Session.
Yours sincerely,
FOI Processing
Academic Registry
Abertay University
Abertay University is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC016040
