Dear Alex
We refer to your Freedom of Information request received on 23/08/2024 about
supplemental payments. Details of any exemptions applied are included below
(where applicable).
Those parts of the University’s response (together with the details of how to ask the
University to review the management of your request, or thereafter to seek a review
by the Scottish Information Commissioner, should you wish to do so – please see
below) constitutes the notice in writing that the information specified is not held by
the University which is required under section 17 of the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”) and under Regulation 10(4)(a) of the Environmental
Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (“EIRs”).
Your Request and Our Response (Request in Bold)
Dear University of Abertay,
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002. I would like to request the following details concerning
supplemental payments made by the University of Abertay within the IT
department that are above the standard pay scales and grading:
1. Breakdown of Supplemental Payments: Please provide a breakdown of the
types of supplemental payments made above the standard pay scales and
grading within the IT department. Categories of interest include, but are not
limited to, "market supplement", "responsibility allowances", "retention
payments", and any other similar types of payments.
The market pay supplement was introduced in 01/06/2023.
2. Roles Receiving Supplemental Payments: For each category of
supplemental payment, please list the roles within the IT department that have
received these payments in the last three years. If possible, include the
number of individuals in each role receiving these payments.
The University is required to consider applying legislative tests if addressing a
request related to personal data. This includes where information, either on its own
or in combination with other information, might lead to the identification of individuals
and/or the disclosure of personal data about them (e.g., in cases where numbers are
low), or their ‘special categories’ of personal data.
Abertay University is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC016040
Due to the low numbers of individuals in each role (Under 5) the University considers
that the release of the information requested could result in the identification of a
data subject(s) and would therefore be in breach of the Data Protection Principles
(Article 5, General Data Protection Regulation). Where this is the case, the
information is exempt from release under section 38(1)(b) Personal Data (3rd party)
of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and, where applicable,
information has been anonymised and presented as Under 5.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (“HESA”) has provided more information on
redacting/disguising low numbers and data protection. HESA routinely does this and
is the UK higher education sector’s leading statistical reporting and research body.
Their information on low numbers is available to you at:
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/rounding-and-suppression-
anonymise-statistics
For more information, please refer to the Information Commissioner’s Office
guidance at:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-
gdpr/
3. Justification for Payments: Please provide any available documentation and
policies that outline the justification or criteria for awarding these
supplemental payments within the IT department.
Please find the Market Supplements Policy attached to our email to you.
4. Total Amounts Paid: Please provide the total amounts paid for each type of
supplemental payment within the IT department in the last three years.
Total amount paid since 01/06/2023 = £19,325.00
This concludes the University’s response.
Your right to seek a review of how your information request was managed.
If you are not satisfied with our response or our reasoning set out above, you have
40 working days in which to require a review of our decision. Any such request
should be put in writing and should be sent to the University Secretary, Abertay
University, at the address provided below.
Vice Principal (Strategy and Governance) and University Secretary
Abertay University
Bell Street
Dundee
DD1 1HG
Tel (01382) 308000
Abertay University is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC016040
E-mail
: xxx@xxxxxxx.xx.xx
The request should:
(a) detail your request for a review of our decision to be undertaken
(b) describe the nature of your original request
(c) explain the reasons why you are dissatisfied with our response
If you remain dissatisfied with how your request for information has been dealt with,
you also have the right, in terms of section 47 of FOISA and section 17 of the EIRs,
and within 6 months, to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a
decision as to whether we have handled your request properly.
Information relating to your right to seek review is available from the Scottish
Information Commissioner's website:
http://www.itspublicknowledge.info
or by contacting the Scottish Information Commissioner's Office at the following
address:
Scottish Information Commissioner,
Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road, St Andrews,
Fife KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
E-mail
: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxx
Website
: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info
Or via the SIC’s online appeals service:
https://www.itspublicknowledge.info/appeal
If you are unhappy with the Commissioner’s decision, you also have the right to
appeal further to the Court of Session, on a point of law only, under section 56 of
FOISA. Please refer to the Commissioner’s website (details above) for further
information about your right of appeal to the Court of Session.
Yours sincerely,
FOI Processing
Abertay University
Abertay University is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC016040
