Policy on Personal Staff-Student Relationships

The request was refused by University of Salford.

Dear University of Salford,

(i) I would like a copy of your policy on personal relationships between staff and students.

(ii) I would also like to know how many members of staff have declared a personal relationship with a student to their line manager or other other appropriate superior. Please provide this information for each of 2007, 2008 and 2009, if possible.

(iii) I would also like to know how many students have declared a personal relationship with a member of staff to an appropriate superior. Please also provide this information for 2007, 2008 and 2009, if possible.

(iv) How many of those involved in such declarations were senior officers of the university?

Yours faithfully,

R Pritchard

Dear University of Salford,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of University of Salford's handling of my FOI request 'Policy on Personal Staff-Student Relationships'.

I am dissatisfied with your handling of my request - you have completely ignored it.

By law, you should have responded promptly, and at the latest within 20 working days. You haven't, and therefore the University of Salford is breaking the law.

I expect your full response promptly. It seems ludicrous that we may have to involve the Information Commissioner in such a simple request as this.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/po...

Yours faithfully,

R Pritchard

Damien Shannon left an annotation ()

Mr Pritchard. For future reference, you are not obliged to request an internal review if the Public Body to whom you are making an FOI request simply ignores you. You are entitled to contact the Information Commissioner directly in that instance.

Foi, University of Salford

Dear Mr Pritchard,

I apologise for the delay in responding. I write in response to your
request for information made to the University of Salford under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 via www.whatdotheyknow.com. This request
will not be processed because it, along with a number of other requests,
is being treated as vexatious under section 14(1) of the Act.

Therefore, in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a refusal notice.

You have the right to complain against the handling of your requests. If
you wish to complain, please set out in writing your ground(s) of
complaint and send to Matthew Stephenson, Head of Information
Governance, at the address below.

Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner
at the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545 700, website
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.

Matthew Stephenson

Head of Information Governance
Governance Services
University of Salford
Clifford Whitworth Building
Salford
M5 4WT

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James Brown left an annotation ()

Asking for an HR policy can't be vexatious. It should be in the publication scheme.

Dear University of Salford,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of University of Salford's handling of my FOI request 'Policy on Personal Staff-Student Relationships'.

I am dissatisfied by your response.

It appears that you have not yet undertaken an internal review, so my request for internal review still stands. You have refused my request as vexatious under section 14(1) of the Act.

I put it to you that it is the University of Salford's flagrant disregard for the Act that is vexatious.

I believe that the University of Salford is in breach of at least the following sections of the Act:

1: General right of access to information held by public authorities
10: Time for compliance with request
14: Vexatious or repeated requests
16: Duty to provide advice and assistance
17: Refusal of request
19: Publication schemes
20: Model publication schemes

Requests for information that should be published under your publication scheme should not be considered as vexatious. This has already been tested in the Information Commissioner's Office.
Please see:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/l...

"Some types of requests should not be considered as vexatious.
Examples include:
• Requests for information that should be published under your publication scheme – you will need to provide this information, or direct the requester to where it is available (eg your website)."

Please also see the Definition Document for the Model Publication Scheme for universities:
http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/free...

"Procedures and policies relating to human resources

This will include the full range of human resources policies and procedures..."

I expect the outcome of your internal review promptly

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/po...

Yours faithfully,

R Pritchard

Foi, University of Salford

Dear Sir/Madam,

As per your request, the University of Salford has conducted an internal
review of its decision relating to your request for information made
under the Freedom of Information.

I apologise for the delay in responding. The review was of a large
number of individual requests which contributed to this delay.

I acknowledge that the response to your request was not provided within
20 working days and was therefore in breach of section 10 of the Freedom
of Information Act. It is our policy and intention to act within the
law and to respond within 20 working days although on occasion this
proves very difficult. Please accept my apologies for the delay in
responding to your request.

The outcome of the review was to uphold the original decision. The
request is considered, along with a number of other requests, to be
vexatious as specified under section 14(1) of the Act and so your
request will not be processed.

Therefore, in accordance with the requirements of section 17 of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a refusal notice.

You have the right to complain against the handling of your request.
You may do so to the Information Commissioner's Office whose address is:
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625
545 700, website www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.

Yours faithfully

Matthew Stephenson

Head of Information Governance
Governance Services
University of Salford
Clifford Whitworth Building
Salford
M5 4WT

T: 0161 295 6856
F: 0161 295 6339
[email address]
www.infogov.salford.ac.uk

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