University hate convictions

The request was refused by University of Gloucestershire.

Hello,

I hope whoever is reading this is keeping well.

This is a request for information under the FOI Act.

Please can you answer the following questions for the academic years of: 2018/9, 2019/20, 2020/21:

1) Over this time period, how many people (undergraduate students and postgraduate students) applied to enroll to an undergraduate course at your university who was found (either by self-declaration or when prompted to disclose any criminal convictions) to have had a conviction for any sort of religious or racial hate crime incident or abuse. Can you provide the information in terms of individuals applying to enrol at your university to start at the beginning of these academic years. i.e. this includes those applying in, say December 2017, for enrollment in 2018/9. I want to be clear that I am asking about students who declare (or who have been found to have) a criminal conviction, through their application to the University.

I am defining 'religious hate crime or abuse' as any crime relating to verbal and physical abuse, bullying, threatening behaviour, online abuse or damage to property on the grounds of race or religion.

When answering Q1, please can you state the types of convictions disclosed (and how many times this type of conviction was disclosed).

2) How many of the people identified in Q1 were subsequently allocated to live in (university maintained/owned) residential settings (either in apartments or shared accommodation blocks on campus, for example) with students who identified as being from a 'BAME' background or a 'religious' background?

When answering Q2, please can you specify the type of residential setting, and whether the student who was allocated a house with the student convicted of a hate/religious crime identified as 'black' or 'Asian' or another ethnic minority, and the type of religion (i.e. 'christian' or 'Muslim') they identified as.

Best,

Yohannes

Freedom of Information, University of Gloucestershire

Dear Yohannes,

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your request for information received on 22 July 2021.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), we anticipate to respond to your request for information within 20 working days, subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third party.

For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions that may prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an assessment and if any of the exemption categories apply then the information will not be released. You will be informed if this is the case.

If the information you request contains reference to a third party then they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to release the information to you. You will be informed if this is the case.

If we are unable to respond within the timescale outlined in the FOIA, we will contact you to discuss an extension to time.

If you have any queries regarding this information, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Tanya

Tanya Collins
Head of Governance and Secretariat Services
Registrar’s Directorate
University of Gloucestershire
Fullwood House
The Park
Cheltenham
GL50 2RH

T: 01242 714160
W: glos.ac.uk

                

show quoted sections

Freedom of Information, University of Gloucestershire

Dear Yohannes,

We refer to your Freedom of Information request dated 22 July 2021.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act it is estimated that, in
order for us to provide a good quality response the University will
require an extension of time to the 20-working day limit.

Whilst the University has endeavoured to deal with your information rights
request within the statutory FOIA timescales, your request has experienced
understandable delays during the COVID-19 pandemic, as University
resources have at times been diverted away from usual compliance or
information rights work in response to these unprecedented
circumstances.  

 

I would therefore request an extension until 26 August 2021 which will
allow us to consider and provide a response to your request.

 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Kind Regards

Ruth

R Neal

--

Ruth Neal

Information Governance Manager

(Pronouns She/Her)​

^University of Gloucestershire

Governance and Secretariat Services

The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2RH

 

Tel: 01242 714140

E-mail: [email address]

Web: [1]www.glos.ac.uk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Freedom of Information <[email address]>
Sent: 22 July 2021 15:19
To: 'Yohannes Lowe' <[FOI #776469 email]>
Cc: Freedom of Information <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - University hate convictions
- 220721-119
 
Dear Yohannes,

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your request for information
received on 22 July 2021.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), we
anticipate to respond to your request for information within 20 working
days, subject to the information not being exempt or containing a
reference to a third party.

For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions that may
prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an
assessment and if any of the exemption categories apply then the
information will not be released. You will be informed if this is the
case.

If the information you request contains reference to a third party then
they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to
release the information to you. You will be informed if this is the case.

If we are unable to respond within the timescale outlined in the FOIA, we
will contact you to discuss an extension to time.

If you have any queries regarding this information, then please do not
hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Tanya

Tanya Collins
Head of Governance and Secretariat Services
Registrar’s Directorate
University of Gloucestershire
Fullwood House
The Park
Cheltenham
GL50 2RH

T: 01242 714160
W: glos.ac.uk

                

show quoted sections

Hello,
Yes, an extension is fine
Thanks very much,
Yohannes

Freedom of Information, University of Gloucestershire

Dear Yohannes, 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 

Information Request 

  

Thank you for your request for information from the University of
Gloucestershire received on 22 July 2021. 

 

Your request is being handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA).  

 

Please find below The University’s response to your request. 

 

Please can you answer the following questions for the academic years of:
2018/9, 2019/20, 2020/21:

1) Over this time period, how many people (undergraduate students and
postgraduate students) applied to enroll to an undergraduate course at
your university who was found (either by self-declaration or when prompted
to disclose any criminal convictions) to have had a conviction for any
sort of religious or racial hate crime incident or abuse. Can you provide
the information in terms of individuals applying to enrol at your
university to start at the beginning of these academic years. i.e. this
includes those applying in, say December 2017, for enrollment in 2018/9. I
want to be clear that I am asking about students who declare (or who have
been found to have) a criminal conviction, through their application to
the University.

I am defining 'religious hate crime or abuse' as any crime relating to
verbal and physical abuse, bullying, threatening behaviour, online abuse
or damage to property on the grounds of race or religion.

When answering Q1, please can you state the types of convictions disclosed
(and how many times this type of conviction was disclosed).

2) How many of the people identified in Q1 were subsequently allocated to
live in (university maintained/owned) residential settings (either in
apartments or shared accommodation blocks on campus, for example) with
students who identified as being from a 'BAME' background or a 'religious'
background?

When answering Q2, please can you specify the type of residential setting,
and whether the student who was allocated a house with the student
convicted of a hate/religious crime identified as 'black' or 'Asian' or
another ethnic minority, and the type of religion (i.e. 'christian' or
'Muslim') they identified as. 

I can confirm that the University does hold some of the data requested
however, we do not hold the data in a reportable format.  Criminal
convictions are not captured as part of the UCAS application form and for
all direct applicants the university capture a yes/no response as part of
the application form, but no further details are captured at this stage of
the application process.  

For those courses where a student is required to undertake a Disclosure
and Barring Service (DBS) check as an element of their course, I can
confirm that we do hold the information however, after careful
consideration we are withholding the information under Section 12 of the
FOIA 2000. 

Section 12 of the FOIA exempts public authorities from providing
information where the estimated cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate
limit.  Any estimate must be undertaken in accordance with the limits set
in fees regulations made under Section 12 (5) of the FOIA. 

These Fees Regulations allow for a refusal where the cost of compliance,
for local authorities (including Universities) would exceed £450.  As a
guide, staff time to identify and extract this information is charged at a
rate of £25 per hour. 

From our preliminary assessment, in summary, to provide the information
you have requested would take us in excess of 20 hours to compile as we 
would have to review each student entry,  

In estimating the cost of complying with a request for information, an
authority can only take into account any reasonable costs incurred in: 

“(a) determining whether it holds the information, 

(b) locating the information, or a document which may contain the
information, 

(c) retrieving the information, or a document which may contain the
information, and, 

(d) extracting the information from a document containing it”. 

 

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request a review, no later than 40 working days from the
date of this response by contacting the University by email at: 

  

[1][email address

 

or by post to: 

 

Registrar’s Directorate
University of Gloucestershire
Fullwood House
Park Campus
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL50 2RH 

 

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at: 

  

The Information Commissioner's Office, 

Wycliffe House, 

Water Lane, 

Wilmslow, 

Cheshire, SK9 5AF.  

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45             

Website: www.ico.gov.uk    

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.  

 

If you have any questions regarding this information, then please do not
hesitate to contact me.  

 

Yours sincerely 

  

Ruth 

 

Ruth Neal 

Information Governance Manager 

Registrar’s Directorate 

University of Gloucestershire 

Fullwood House 

The Park 

Cheltenham 

GL50 2RH 

T: 01242 714140 

W: glos.ac.uk 

 

References

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Hello,
Your response to my FOI request indicated that providing the information I asked for in my original request would exceed the cost limit.
I wondered if you could please advise under S16 a way I can refine my request to make the information retrievable under the scope of the act?
Best,
Yohannes

Freedom of Information, University of Gloucestershire

Dear Yohannes,
Thank you for your email.  I can confirm that under Section 16 advice and
assistance of the FOIA, within the 18-hour timescale we would be able to
report the number of applicants and enrolled students that have indicated
they have a criminal conviction however, these would only be direct
applicants and therefore would show an incomplete picture.
Kind Regards
Ruth

R Neal

--

Ruth Neal

Information Governance Manager

(Pronouns She/Her)​

^University of Gloucestershire

Governance and Secretariat Services

The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2RH

 

Tel: 01242 714140

E-mail: [email address]

Web: [1]www.glos.ac.uk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Yohannes Lowe <[FOI #776469 email]>
Sent: 23 August 2021 09:29
To: Freedom of Information <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - University hate convictions
- 220721-119
 
CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organisation. Only click
links or open attachments when you can confirm the sender and know the
content is safe. If unsure, contact [email address]

Hello,

Your response to my FOI request indicated that providing the information I
asked for in my original request would exceed the cost limit.

I wondered if you could please advise under S16 a way I can refine my
request to make the information retrievable under the scope of the act?

Best,

Yohannes

show quoted sections

Thanks Ruth, but I think I'll leave it