Thank you for your email to Argyll and Bute Council in relation to Freedom
of Information Requests. We will  respond to your email as soon as
possible.  
Many Thanks
FOI team

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Dear George Pappas

Request for information: Request for records and information management

Thank you for your information request which we have logged as reference
argyllbuteir:17064.

It has been passed to the relevant service(s) for attention and you should
receive a response under either the Freedom of Information (Scot) Act 2002
or the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 by 2024-03-05
00:00:00. We hope to respond within this timescale but some requests may
take little longer.

Please quote the reference number above in any correspondence you may have
with the Council in regard to this request.

Regards

FOI Officer

Privacy information: Any personal information you have provided in
relation to this request will be used only for the intended purpose -
please read the full privacy notice to find out more about how your
personal information will be handled, and your rights under data
protection legislation.

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Mr Pappas,

Request for information: Request for records and information management

Reference: argyllbuteir:17064.

I refer to your request for information which was dealt with in terms of
the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).

1.    What kind of training do all employees receive (not the records
managers/specialists), regarding information management? All staff
undertake mandatory training though the Councils online learning portal
for handling records and information.
2.    Are there information management specialists involved in the
training, such as records management professionals and/or archivists? Yes
the Governance, Risk and Safety Manager approves the training materials.
3.    Could you provide a copy of the information management training
procedures (if any)? The training is an online e-format they are in a
SCORM format which could be viewed if you have access to a learning
management system.

 4.    Is this training mandatory and if yes, do the employees have to
repeat the training after a specific amount of time e.g., every 6
months/year? These are mandatory courses for all staff. Staff are required
to undertake an annual refresher in Data Protection and should this not be
completed the whole course must be repeated.
5.    Does your organisation have staff with enhanced Records Management
responsibilities, other than the Records Manager (e.g., champions,
super-users, etc.)? Yes, we have employees in each service that assist
their service in ensuring compliance with Data Protection, Records
Management and Information requests.
6.    What kind of special/specific training do you provide to staff that
cover Records Management, Freedom of Information and
anonymisation/redaction of documents? The Compliance team within the
Council undertake Practitioners Qualifications in FOI, Data Protection and
Records Management. Employees in the wider services are provided with
in-house training provided by the Compliance team alongside the mandatory
e-learning courses.

7.    Could you provide a copy of the Records Management training, Freedom
of Information and anonymisation/reduction training  documents (if any)?
The training is an online e-format they are in a SCORM format which could
be viewed if you have access to a learning management system.

8.    Did you had any data breaches in 2023? Yes. If yes, how many there
were? 73 data breaches were reported in the timeframe specified.
9.    How do you classify your data breaches and which categories of data
breaches did you experience in 2023? We classify breaches by Risk i.e. Low
– High. There were 2 were classified as High and 71 were classified as Low
in the timeframe specified.

10.   Is there a Human Resources policy for disciplinary actions against
poor Records Management practices? We do not have a specific policy for
this however it is covered by the Councils Employee Code of Conduct and
Acceptable Use Policy.

11.   Were there any instances of disciplinary actions taken because of
poor Records Management practices in the year 2023? None in the timeframe
specified. 

12.       How many departments/directorates does your council have and how
many staff? Please find attached a copy of the Councils organisation chart
with each department and service. The Council employs 4300 staff.
[1]Organisational Chart – My Council Works

I have attached a number of documents in relation to our policies which I
hope you will find useful.  

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which your request for information
has been dealt with you are entitled to request a review by writing to the
Executive Director Customer Services, Argyll and Bute Council, Kilmory,
Lochgilphead, Argyll PA31 8RT, or by email to [Argyll and Bute Council request email].

Your request for review must state your name and address for
correspondence, specify the request for information to which your request
for review relates and why you are dissatisfied with the response.

You must make your request for review not later than 40 working days after
the expiry of the 20 working day period for response to your initial
request by the Council, or not later than 40 working days after the
receipt by you of the information provided, any fees notice issued or any
notification of refusal or partial refusal.

If you make an application for review and remain dissatisfied with the way
in which the review has been dealt with you are entitled to make an
application to the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9DS (Tel: 01334 464610) for a
further review. You can now do this online here -
www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal.

You must make representation to the Scottish Information Commissioner no
later than 6 months after the date of receipt by you of the notice or
decision you are dissatisfied with or within 6 months of the expiry of the
period of 20 working days from receipt by the Council of your request for
review.

Yours sincerely

David Sinclair

Compliance and Regulatory Assistant

Legal and Regulatory Services

01546 604352

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From: George Pappas <[FOI #1080792 email]>
Sent: Monday, February 5, 2024 6:59 PM
To: foi <[Argyll and Bute Council request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Request for records and
information management

Dear Argyll and Bute Council,

My name is George Pappas, and I'm currently pursuing an MSc program at the
University of Dundee. As part of my dissertation, I am conducting a
research study to understand Records and Information management from the
scope of a user and not a records management professional/specialist. This
questionnaire is designed to gather insights and perspectives that are
crucial for my research. The goal is to better understand how users in the
public sector perceive records and information management. Please be
assured that your responses will be used solely for academic purposes. If
you have any questions or need further information about this research,
please feel free to reach out to me.

I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions, regarding
records management in your Council:
1. What kind of training do all employees receive (not the records
managers/specialists), regarding information management?
2. Are there information management specialists involved in the training,
such as records management professionals and/or archivists?
3. Could you provide a copy of the information management training
procedures (if any)?
4. Is this training mandatory and if yes, do the employees have to repeat
the training after a specific amount of time e.g., every 6 months/year?
5. Does your organisation have staff with enhanced Records Management
responsibilities, other than the Records Manager (e.g., champions,
super-users, etc.)?
6. What kind of special/specific training do you provide to staff that
cover Records Management, Freedom of Information and
anonymisation/redaction of documents?
7. Could you provide a copy of the Records Management training, Freedom of
Information and anonymisation/reduction training  documents (if any)?
8. Did you had any data breaches in 2023? If yes, how many there were?
9. How do you classify your data breaches and which categories of data
breaches did you experience in 2023?
10. Is there a Human Resources policy for disciplinary actions against
poor Records Management practices?
11. Were there any instances of disciplinary actions taken because of poor
Records Management practices in the year 2023?
12.       How many departments/directorates does your council have and how
many staff?

Your participation is greatly appreciated and will contribute
significantly to the success of this study. Thank you for your time and
valuable input.

Yours faithfully,

George Pappas

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