City of Glasgow College
FOISA Response 20 20-21 Dealings with Stonewall
Please see this College’s response to your request for information below. Please
note that access to some of this information is provided through alternative
arrangements, where file sizes do not permit attachment by email
Where information cannot be disclosed, this is in line with applicable exemptions
under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, as specified below.
Question 1
1.
Any application you made in 2019 or 2020 to be a “Stonewal Diversity
Champion” or to be included on Stonewal s “Workplace Equality Index,” (WEI)
including any attachments or appendices to those applications. Please redact
personal details if necessary.
An application was submitted in 2019. Access to the information requested in
connection with this application is outlined below. In 2020 the Stonewall WEI was
suspended due to the COVID 19 Pandemic. Please note that the College’s Equality
Mainstreaming reports 2015 and 2019, included in the 2019 WEI submission, are
available at:
https://www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk/about-us/equality-diversity-and-
inclusion/equality-act-2010-and-duties
Due to the large quantity of related files, and the file sizes involved, all other
information relating to this application is provided in an ordered set of files, under
each application section, via the access arrangements specified in the
accompanying email.
Some personal details have been redacted in some of these files, as you have
directed. We withhold this redacted information under the applicable exemption of
the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 Section 38 - Personal Information -
as the release of the information would represent disclosure of personal data. We
believe that public interest in applying the exemption outweighs the public interest in
disclosure.
Question 2
2.
Any feedback you received in 2019 or 2020 from Stonewall in relation to
either application or programme.
With regard to the feedback received by the College from Stonewall, this is provided
to organisations in confidence, as per the Stonewall
privacy statement (link) and it is
our view that disclosure would represent a breach of confidence.
We therefore withhold this information under the applicable exemption of the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 Section 36 (ii) - Confidentiality- as the
release of the information would represent a breach of confidence.
Furthermore, as the Workplace Equality Index is a competitive process, we are
advised that disclosure of this information would prejudice substantially the
commercial interests of Stonewall, which would likely be damaged by disclosure. For
example, disclosure could give other organisations entering the WEI an advantage,
or because disclosure, contrary to our agreed terms with Stonewall, would
undermine confidence in the WEI.
We therefore withhold this information under the applicable exemption of the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 Section 33(1)(b) - Commercial Interests
- as the release of the information would prejudice substantially the commercial
interests of Stonewall.
We believe that public interest in applying the exemption outweighs the public
interest in disclosure.
Question 3
3.
Any other communication you have received from Stonewall in 2019 or 2020
unless privileged or otherwise exempt from disclosure (but if you claim
privilege or exemption in relation to any material, please say in broad terms
what the material is and the basis on which you claim to be entitled to withhold
it).
The communications we have received across the organisation from Stonewall over
the specified period are attached. Due to the size of this file, this information is
provided via the access arrangements specified in the accompanying email.
Where information has been redacted this is to protect the identity of individuals,
and other personal data.
We withhold this redacted information as described above under the applicable
exemption of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 Section 38 - Personal
Information - as the release of the information would represent disclosure of personal
data. We believe that public interest in applying the exemption outweighs the public
interest in disclosure.
Question 4
4.
Full details of any equality impact assessment you carried out connected
with any of these applications (including any equality impact assessment
carried out prior to an earlier application of the same kind, if no further
assessment was done).
An Equality Impact Assessment was not undertaken on the submission itself, though
it is normal College practice to undertake an EQIA for all its policies, practices, and
procedures. All College policies and procedures submitted to the WEI have been
individually Equality Impact Assessed. Furthermore, as the Workplace Equality
Index is linked to one of our Equality Outcomes this is already covered by our
equality reporting requirements in line with the Public Sector Duties under the
Equality Act 2010.
Question 5
5
. Details of the total amount of money you paid to Stonewal (i) in 2019; (i ) in
2020, whether or not as payment for goods or services.
The College has paid membership fees of £2000 per year in 2019 and 2020.
Question 6
6.
Whether you intend to continue your membership of any Stonewal scheme
in the future, and if so which.
This is not known at present. Therefore we hereby give you notice that in terms of
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, we do not hold this
information.