Our Reference: 201900010711

Dear Martin Sammut,

Thank you for your correspondence sent on 28/12/2019. Your query will be
passed to the relevant area for consideration and has been given a
reference number of 201900010711. Please quote this number in all
correspondence. The Scottish Government aim to respond, where necessary,
as quickly as possible and within the stated timescale as indicated on our
website
(http://www.gov.scot/about/contact-inform...).

Yours sincerely
MiCase
Correspondence system for SG and partner agencies

The Scottish Government takes your privacy seriously. You may have written
to us because you have a question or want to make a complaint. Our privacy
notice
(https://beta.gov.scot/publications/conta...),
available on our website, sets out how we use your personal data, and your
rights when communicating with us. It is made under Article 13 of the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
********************************************************************** 
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is
intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use,
disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is
not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the
email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender
immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded
in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other
lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may
not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************
 

FOISA Acknowledgment of request

Dear Martin Sammut,

Thank you for your request dated 28 December 2019 under the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for digital copies of all emails,
documents, memoranda, policy notices and legal advice in the possession of
the Scottish Government which were received, written or sent during the
period from 1 September 2011 to 1 April 2014, within, from or to, any of
the following parts of the Scottish Government: SAAS, the Scottish Funding
Council, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and his office,
the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science (and his
office,) the Advanced Learning and Science Directorate, the Advocate
General (and his department,) and the Scottish Government Newsroom, to
also include any and all policy documents sent to the Scottish
Universities by the Scottish Government, where any such documents include
ALL of the following words or phrases (Singular or plural) "fees",
"University", "Ireland", "Scotland", "Regulations", "Resident", "EU",
"citizen."

We received your request on 28 December 2019 and will respond in
accordance with FOISA by 29 January 2020.

If you have any queries, please contact me quoting case number
201900010711.

Yours sincerely,

Iain McGarry

Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division

Scottish Government | 7^th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw |
Glasgow, G2 8LU

[1][email address]  (0131 244 2514)

********************************************************************** 
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is
intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use,
disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is
not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the
email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender
immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded
in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other
lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may
not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************
 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

Dear Martin Sammut,

I have now considered your new Freedom of Information request and I was
hoping to discuss the changes with you. When we previously discussed your
more focussed request, I assumed that this would still be made with
reference to “the issue raised in 2012 of the fee status of students from
Northern Ireland to Scottish Universities’ by virtue of their right to
citizenship of Ireland  (Eire) as well as the issue of their therefore
being the family member of dual national UK/non-UK EU nationals.”

As there is no reference in your new request to the central issue that you
are interested in, the request currently encompasses all documents held by
the Scottish Government that include the words (singular or plural)
"fees", "University", "Ireland", "Scotland", "Regulations", "Resident",
"EU", and "citizen.” While at first this seems like it would only include
the documents you are most interested in, my early searches indicate that
this would cover over 900 separate documents, many of which will likely
not be of any interest to you. This will likely take the request over the
cost limit. As I advised you previously, the Scottish Government has a 
policy of not charging individuals who make FOI requests, but reserves
the  right to apply an upper cost limit (as per section 12 of FOISA) in
cases  where the cost to the Scottish Government is in excess of £600.

I apologise for being unclear in my previous correspondence to you, and
the delays this has caused – are you able to further narrow the focus of
your request?

Iain McGarry

Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division

Scottish Government | 7^th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw |
Glasgow, G2 8LU

[1][email address]  (0131 244 2514)

From: McGarry I (Iain)
Sent: 30 December 2019 14:00
To: 'Martin Sammut' <[FOI #630499 email]>
Subject: FOISA Acknowledgment of request - 201900010711

FOISA Acknowledgment of request

Dear Martin Sammut,

Thank you for your request dated 28 December 2019 under the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for digital copies of all emails,
documents, memoranda, policy notices and legal advice in the possession of
the Scottish Government which were received, written or sent during the
period from 1 September 2011 to 1 April 2014, within, from or to, any of
the following parts of the Scottish Government: SAAS, the Scottish Funding
Council, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and his office,
the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science (and his
office,) the Advanced Learning and Science Directorate, the Advocate
General (and his department,) and the Scottish Government Newsroom, to
also include any and all policy documents sent to the Scottish
Universities by the Scottish Government, where any such documents include
ALL of the following words or phrases (Singular or plural) "fees",
"University", "Ireland", "Scotland", "Regulations", "Resident", "EU",
"citizen."

We received your request on 28 December 2019 and will respond in
accordance with FOISA by 29 January 2020.

If you have any queries, please contact me quoting case number
201900010711.

Yours sincerely,

Iain McGarry

Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division

Scottish Government | 7^th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw |
Glasgow, G2 8LU

[2][email address]  (0131 244 2514)

********************************************************************** 
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is
intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use,
disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is
not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the
email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender
immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded
in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other
lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may
not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************
 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]

Our Reference: 202000011747

Dear Martin Sammut,

Thank you for your correspondence sent on 13/01/2020. Your query will be
passed to the relevant area for consideration and has been given a
reference number of 202000011747. Please quote this number in all
correspondence. The Scottish Government aim to respond, where necessary,
as quickly as possible and within the stated timescale as indicated on our
website
(http://www.gov.scot/about/contact-inform...).

Yours sincerely
MiCase
Correspondence system for SG and partner agencies

The Scottish Government takes your privacy seriously. You may have written
to us because you have a question or want to make a complaint. Our privacy
notice
(https://beta.gov.scot/publications/conta...),
available on our website, sets out how we use your personal data, and your
rights when communicating with us. It is made under Article 13 of the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
********************************************************************** 
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is
intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use,
disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is
not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the
email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender
immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded
in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other
lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may
not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************
 

Dear Mr Martin Sammut,

I am writing to advise that an Internal Review request cannot be accepted until the deadline for your FOI request has passed.

We are currently working on answering your FOI request and are aiming to provide your response by the deadline of 28th January 2020.

If you are dissatisfied with your response you will be entitled to make a review request following this date.

Thanks very much,

Iain McGarry
Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division
Scottish Government | 7th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw | Glasgow, G2 8LU

[email address] (0131 244 2514)

show quoted sections

Dear Martin Sammut,

I am writing to make you aware that there has unfortunately been a delay in answering the below FOI request - I will continue to work on answering your request and will provide a response as soon as possible.

Thank you very much,

Iain McGarry
Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division
Scottish Government | 7th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw | Glasgow, G2 8LU

show quoted sections

Dear Martin Sammut,

I apologise for the delay in providing your completed FOI response. I am currently aiming to provide your completed FOI response by the end of 04/02/2020 at the latest - unfortunately it is taking longer than expected to ensure that all information within scope of this request is fully considered under FOI guidance and all appropriate exemptions/exceptions are applied.

Kind regards,

Iain McGarry
Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division
Scottish Government | 7th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw | Glasgow, G2 8LU

show quoted sections

Dear Martin Sammut,

I can only apologise again for the further delay - we are at the final stages of deciding what information can be released but I appreciate that we are already past the deadline. I regret that it has come to this stage and that I have failed to meet your expectations here. I am now working towards having your response completed and sent for this afternoon but I will update you by 2 pm if there will be any further delays.

I sincerely hope that my next contact with yourself will be to provide your completed FOI response.

Yours sincerely,

Iain McGarry

Iain McGarry
Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division
Scottish Government | 7th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw | Glasgow, G2 8LU

show quoted sections

Dear Martin Sammut,

I am writing to advise you that I have not yet finalised your response but that I am continuing to work towards having this issued as soon as possible. I will contact you as soon as I have further information to provide.

Yours sincerely,

Iain McGarry
Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division
Scottish Government | 7th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw | Glasgow, G2 8LU

show quoted sections

Our Reference: 202000016099
Your Reference: Internal review of Freedom of Information request

Dear Martin Sammut,

Thank you for your correspondence received on 13/02/2020. Your query will
be passed to the relevant area for consideration and has been given a
reference number of 202000016099. Please quote this number in all
correspondence. The Scottish Government aim to respond, where necessary,
as quickly as possible and within the stated timescale as indicated on our
website
(http://www.gov.scot/about/contact-inform...).

Yours sincerely
MiCase
Correspondence system for SG and partner agencies

The Scottish Government takes your privacy seriously. You may have written
to us because you have a question or want to make a complaint. Our privacy
notice
(https://beta.gov.scot/publications/conta...),
available on our website, sets out how we use your personal data, and your
rights when communicating with us. It is made under Article 13 of the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
********************************************************************** 
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is
intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use,
disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is
not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the
email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender
immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded
in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other
lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may
not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************
 

Acknowledgment of request for review of failure to respond

Thank you for your request dated 13 February 2020 for a review of our
failure to respond to your request under the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for digital copies of all emails, documents,
memoranda, policy notices and legal advice in the possession of the
Scottish Government which were received, written or sent during the period
from 1 September 2011 to 1 April 2014, within, from or to, any of the
following parts of the Scottish Government: SAAS, the Scottish Funding
Council, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and his office,
the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science (and his
office,) the Advanced Learning and Science Directorate, the Advocate
General (and his department,) and the Scottish Government Newsroom, to
also include any and all policy documents sent to the Scottish
Universities by the Scottish Government, where any such documents include
ALL of the following words or phrases (Singular or plural) "fees",
"University", "Ireland", "Scotland", "Regulations", "Resident", "EU",
"citizen."

I have been asked by Lorna Gibbs, Interim Director of Advanced Learning
and Science, to carry out a review of our failure to respond to your
request within the 20 working day deadline which expired on 29 January
2020. I will establish the reasons for our failure to respond on time and,
in accordance with section 21(4) of FOISA), I will also reach a decision
on your request.

We received your review request on 13 February 2020 so I will respond in
accordance with FOISA by 12 March 2020.

If you have any queries, please contact me quoting case number
202000016099.

Iain McGarry

Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division

Scottish Government | 7th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw |
Glasgow, G2 8LU

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Sammut,

I apologise for the delays you have experienced as part of your request, I
am currently working to provide your response by the new deadline of 12
March 2020.

In the interest of providing your response as quickly as possible, as no
response has yet been issued, it was agreed that I should carry out the
‘failure to respond review’, rather than cause additional delays by asking
someone new to take over a case that was still in progress. I appreciate
that this may seem contradictory but I have been advised that this is the
normal procedure in cases where the initial response has not been
released.

I will continue to work on this case and hope to provide you a completed
response as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Iain McGarry

Iain McGarry

Student Financial Support Team | Higher Education and Science Division

Scottish Government | 7th Floor | 5 Atlantic Quay | 150 Broomielaw |
Glasgow, G2 8LU

From: Martin Sammut <[1][FOI #630499 email]>

Sent: 27 February 2020 23:12

To: Central Enquiry Unit <[2][email address]>

Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Scottish
Government (also for the Advanced Learning and Science directorate.)

Dear Scottish Government,

I have still received nothing. 

How can Iain McGarry review his own failure to respond?

Yours faithfully,

Martin Sammut

show quoted sections

Please find attached a response to your correspondence.
********************************************************************** 
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is
intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use,
disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is
not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the
email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender
immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded
in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other
lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may
not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************