Information Assurance and Governance
Office of the Principal
8 July 2019
Dear Mr Conway,
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Our Ref: 243-19
Please find below the University’s response to your enquiry dated 17 June 2019 under the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“the FOISA”).
1. For each of the past ten academic years (2008-09 to 2018-19), how many University of St
Andrews students have died while a student at the university?
Along with the data requested, you are being provided with the total number of Full Time
Equivalent degree seeking students for your information.
Table 1: Number of registered degree seeking students
Academic
Year
FTE
2008/9
7252
2009/0
7488
2010/1
7730
2011/2
7775
2012/3
7582
2013/4
7860
2014/5
8206
2015/6
8420
2016/7
8786
2017/8
9140
2018/9
8983
Table 2/
Information Assurance and Governance
01334 462776
xxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx
The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC013532
Table 2: Number of students recorded as deceased
Academic Year
Headcount Female Male
2008/9
3
0
3
2009/0
1
0
1
2010/1
1
1
0
2011/2
3
1
2
2012/3
7
2
5
2013/4
5
1
4
2014/5
3
1
2
2015/6
2
2
0
2016/7
3
2
1
2017/8
4
3
1
2018/9*
1
1
0
*Note – Data as at 27 June 2019. Academic year 2018/19 ends on 31 July 2019.
2. Please provide, if possible, a breakdown by gender for each year.
Please refer to Table 2 above for the requested breakdown.
3. For each of the past ten academic years (2008-09 to 2018-19), how many University of St
Andrews students have committed suicide while a student at the university?
The University is an educational institution and does not have the authority to
determine/record/report the cause of death. This responsibility lies with the Procurator
Fiscal’s Office in Scotland and it is not something that the University is necessarily
informed about. As such, the requested information does not form part of the records held
by the University.
Advice and Assistance
The contact details for the Procurator Fiscal’s Office in Dundee can be found at:
https://www.copfs.gov.uk/in-your-community/our-offices/office-details/?id=52 .
4. The university’s rationale behind choosing to record or not to record student suicides.
The FOISA gives a right of access to recorded information held by a Scottish public
authority. This does not extend to requiring the University to explain its operational
practices where no information of relevance is held in a recorded format as in this case.
5. University policy regarding all actions the university take after a student commits suicide
The University is currently developing a framework for responding to a suicide in the
University community in response to the Universities Suicide Safer guidance. For your
information,
details
of
this
guidance
can
be
found
at:
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/suicide-safer .
Information/
Information not held
Section 17 of the FOISA requires that a Scottish public authority confirms in writing where
information requested of it is not held and for the reasons provided at 3 and 4 above, notice is
given to this effect.
Your right to seek a review of how your information request was managed
If you are not satisfied with the University’s response and/or our reasoning set-out above, you
have the right to request a review of our decision. The time lines in which this right is available
are set out in section 20(5)(a) and (b) FOISA. In broad terms the right to seek a review must
be exercised within 40 working days of receiving this response.
Any request for review should be put in writing or some other permanent form e.g. an e-mail
and should be sent to the University of St Andrews, through the contact details provided
below.
A request for a Review should:
a) state your name and address;
b) describe the nature of your original request; and
c) explain the reasons why you are dissatisfied with our response.
Freedom of Information / Environmental Information
University of St Andrews
Butts Wynd (Building)
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9AJ
Email
xxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx
Telephone +44(0)1334 462776
If you remain dissatisfied with how your request for information has been dealt with following
Review, you also have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) for a
decision. In the event of an appeal to the SIC, the Commissioner will generally only be able
to investigate the matters raised in the request for review.
Details on how to make an appeal online to the SIC can be found on their website:
http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Unhappywiththeresponse/AppealingtoCommis
sioner.aspx
Alternatively/
Information Assurance and Governance
01334 462776
xxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx
The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC013532
Alternatively, you can contact the SIC by post, telephone or email at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
E-mail: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxx
Website: www.itspublicknowledge.info
This concludes the University’s response.
Yours sincerely
JUNE WEIR
Information Assurance and Governance Officer
