Dear Benjamin Butcher

I acknowledge receipt of your email received by this office on 7 June 2022.

Your request will now be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and has been allocated reference FOI22-188 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 5 July 2022.

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.

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 Benjamin,

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request dated 07
June 2022.

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

1. Did you give students any refunds for tuition fees for reasons relating
to covid, such as cancelled lectures or lack of face-to-face tuition - if
so, please can you give a breakdown of:

a) How many students received refunds?

b) How much did they receive in total?

c) The highest amount received by a single student

2019/20 – 0
2020/21 – <5 cases. 

As regards to the 2020/21 cases the University does hold this information.
However, there are a very small number of cases (less than 5) and in
providing this information to this level it would substantially increase
the risk of persons being identified, therefore totals fewer than 5 are
represented as <5.  The information is exempt by virtue of Section 40(2)
of the Freedom of Information Act entitled Personal Information.  As this
information would constitute the individual's personal data as defined
under Article 4 of the UK GDPR, to release the information would breach
the data protection principle concerning fairness.

2. Did you or a private accommodation provider give students any refunds
for accommodation for reasons relating to covid, such as being unable to
live in their halls - if so, please can you give a breakdown of:

a) How many students received refunds?

513 students in University-owned accommodation received refunds.

b) How much did they receive in total?

            £570,262.60

c) The highest amount received by a single student

£7,401

The totals provided for a), b) and c) above are for academic years 2019/20
and 2020/21 and are for Cardiff University-owned premises only. We do not
hold information regarding private accommodation providers.

3. Please supply the total amount reimbursed to students for covid-related
reasons, including the categories mentioned in Questions 2 and Question 3.
Please give a breakdown of other areas not covered in Questions 2 and
Question 3 if possible.

Please see our response to questions 1 & 2. As for any other areas not
covered by questions 1 & 2, we do not collate this information centrally. 
As there are 24 Academic Schools it would take considerably more than 18
hours to collate the information you require.  The University is not
obliged to spend more than 18 hours (as set by the Freedom of Information
and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004)
collating such information and accordingly the exemption provided by
section 12(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will apply.

4. How many outstanding requests for refunds related to covid are there?

            None

5. In the 2021-22 academic year, what proportion of lectures have been
given remotely in a) October 2021 and b) May 2022? If you are unable to
give an exact figure, please supply any internal estimates.

6. In the 2022-23 academic year, what proportion of lectures are expected
to be held remotely? If you are unable to give an exact figure, please
supply any internal estimates or internal policy.

The delivery of courses at the University in both 2020/21 and 2021/22 has
been responsive to a number of changes of Welsh Government guidance and
regulations governing higher education in Wales.  As a University we kept
all our educational delivery and practice under constant review against
these changes, and adapted accordingly.

Depending on the alert levels issued by Welsh Governments, the University
maintained a blended approach to learning, with many on-campus classes
able to go ahead, through to moving much of its provision online, with the
exceptions being clinical and practice-based teaching at high alert
levels. The range of delivery differed also between subjects and
disciplines, so it is not possible to confirm one summary approach. The
information you have requested is held at school level and is not
routinely collated centrally.  As there are 24 Academic Schools it would
take considerably more than 18 hours to collate the information you
require.  The University is not obliged to spend more than 18 hours (as
set by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit
and Fees) Regulations 2004) collating such information and accordingly the
exemption provided by section 12(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
will apply.

From January 2022 we are making full use of our teaching spaces.

7. Please give a current estimate of the number of staff who were working
from home in May 2022. Please give a brief description of your
work-from-home policy.

Cardiff University does not have a ‘Work from Home’ policy, however, as of
April 2022, Cardiff University have implemented a blended working model
for all staff and have introduced the ‘Better Ways of Working programme’.

The key principle of the programme is that work should take place in the
most effective location, at the most effective times, whilst delivering an
excellent service for stakeholders.

It is not our intention to develop a ‘one size fits all’ solution.
Instead, Schools, Colleges and Professional Services departments will
consider their business needs and the needs of their teams, to develop an
approach to blended working, defined as a way of working that combines on-
and off-campus working, determined by business need and with no specific
minimum or maximum proportion of time spent in any location.

Line managers have been provided with guidance and support on determining
blended working arrangements for staff to ensure an equitable and
consistent approach. All Professional Services staff will be expected to
work on-campus for some of their time, whilst off-campus working will only
ever be voluntary. Staff can request to work full-time on-campus if that
better suits their needs. Staff will not gain tax advantages from
off-campus working.

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 Head of
Compliance and Risk who will be responsible for overseeing the review.

If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome of your complaint, 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.

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 : [2][email address] Email: [3][email address] 
 
 
 
The University welcomes
Mae'r Brifysgol yn croesawu correspondence in Welsh or English. 
gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu'n Saesneg.  Corresponding in Welsh will not lead
Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu to any delay.
unrhwy oedi.

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