Dear Bess Thomas

I acknowledge receipt of your email received by this office on 5 February 2025.

Your request will now be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and has been allocated reference FOI25-053 which should be quoted in all correspondence. We will respond to your request within 20 working days starting the next working day after receipt, therefore you can expect to receive a response no later than 4 March 2025. We note that you have submitted five FOIs within the last 60 days. We reserve the right to aggregate further requests for cost purposes which relate to any extent to same or similar information.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and, if that is the case, we will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

Finally, should you require the disclosure in an alternative format, e.g. screen reader accessible, large print etc, please let us know as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely

Swyddfa Ysgrifenydd y Brifysgol
Prifysgol Caerdydd
Ebost : [email address]

Mae'r Brifysgol yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu'n Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhwy oedi.

University Secretary's Office
Cardiff University
Email: [email address]

The University welcomes correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.

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Dear Bess,

Further to our email of 5th February, I would be grateful if you could clarify your request please.

Please could you advise for which year/years you are requesting this information.

Please note that the clock has been paused on the legal response deadline until we receive your clarification.

Kind regards,

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Dear Bess,

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request dated 4^th
February 2025.

For ease of reference, I have reproduced your questions below and set out
our corresponding responses.

Could you please provide information about the fees gained from students
studying the following subjects, any grants received for the following
subjects and the staffing costs of the following subjects:

- Nursing

- Ancient History

- Modern Languages and Translation Programmes

- Music

- Religion and Theology

The University confirms that it holds this information. However, after due
consideration it is considered that the information is exempt from
disclosure by virtue of Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act
entitled Commercial Interests.  This section states:  43(2) Information is
exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be
likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the
public authority holding it).   

The information withheld includes our course fees and associated staff
costs. If we disclose this information, it could harm our commercial
interests by giving competitors insight into our pricing and cost
structures which could negatively impact our market position and revenue.
If competitors know our costs in order to provide our services, they could
easily replicate or undercut our offerings, leading to financial losses
for us and affect our ability to compete. Additionally, our negotiations
with suppliers and partners could be compromised if they gain insights
into our cost structures, possibly resulting in less favourable terms for
us. It is highly likely that this harm would occur if the information is
disclosed. Our industry is very competitive, and any advantage competitors
gain from our pricing and cost information would be quickly exploited.

Public Interest Test 

Factors in favour of disclosure 

Openness and Transparency - Disclosing the information promotes openness
and transparency

Accountability for the spending of public money- Providing this
information ensures that we are accountable for how public funds are
spent.

Factors in favour of non-disclosure 

            Competition- Keeping this information confidential protects
our competitive position

Ability to generate income- Our ability to generate income could be
compromised if this information is disclosed.

Impact on other negotiations- HEIW commissions courses healthcare courses
through competitive tendering. To publish information around the School of
Healthcare would prejudice our ability to successfully tender for any
commissioned activity in public tenders in the future.

On balance we therefore consider that the potential for commercial harm to
both the University interests and those of our suppliers means the public
interest in non-disclosure outweighs the public interest in full
disclosure and Section 43(2) applies.

I trust this information satisfies your enquiry.  Should you feel
dissatisfied with this response or the way in which your request was
handled you can request an Internal Review. This should be made in writing
within 40 working days of the date of this email. Please provide your
unique reference number of your request, information on why you are
dissatisfied and any detail you would like us to consider as part of the
Internal Review process. Email your request to [1][email address] where it
will be forwarded to the University’s Data Protection Officer who will be
responsible for overseeing the review.

If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome, you have the right to
apply directly to the Information Commissioner for consideration.  The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at the following address:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Further information is available on their
website: [2]Make a complaint | ICO.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Cardiff University. If you require further assistance, please feel free to
contact me.

Kind regards,

Swyddfa Ysgrifenydd y Brifysgol University Secretary’s Office

Prifysgol Caerdydd Cardiff University

Ebost : [3][email address]   Email: [4][email address] 

Mae'r Brifysgol yn croesawu The University welcomes correspondence
gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu'n in Welsh or English.  Corresponding in
Saesneg.  Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg Welsh will not lead to any delay.
yn creu unrhwy oedi.

References

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