Use of non disclosure / confidentiality agreements
Dear The Glasgow School of Art,
I am seeking information on the number of non disclosure / confidentiality agreements issued to staff at the point of terminating their employment with GSA (for whatever reason) since January 2014 till present day.
Per year, please state i) the number of such agreements issued; ii) the grade of staff that agreement was issued to; iii) if any payment was issued alongside that agreement at the point of termination, including if this was a settlement agreement, what the value of that payment was.
Yours faithfully,
Suzanne Lees
Dear Suzanne
Ref: GSA FoI 18/19 386
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request, which was received by
Glasgow School of Art on 7 August 2019.
We will respond to your request as soon as possible, and no later than 4
September 2019, pending any clarification we may need to seek from you.
Kind Regards
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
E: [1][GSA request email]
[2]cid:[email address]
Dear Suzanne,
Ref: GSA FoI 18/19 386
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request, which was received by
Glasgow School of Art on 7 August 2019.
The response below was received from the Director of Human Resources, who
has requested further clarification on one point (underlined below). Can
you please provide clarification on this point as soon as possible. If
more information is required from GSA upon receipt of clarification, we
will endeavour to get this to you by the original deadline (4 September
2019).
I am seeking information on the number of non disclosure / confidentiality
agreements issued to staff at the point of terminating their employment
with GSA (for whatever reason) since January 2014 till present day. None.
GSA does not issue NDAs or confidentiality agreements. As with most
organisations, standard confidentiality clauses often feature within any
formal Settlement Agreements but these do not prevent GSA or individuals
from providing information to relevant authorities. Please confirm
whether you are seeking information on Settlement Agreements.
Per year, please state i) the number of such agreements issued; None ii)
the grade of staff that agreement was issued to; N/A iii) if any payment
was issued alongside that agreement at the point of termination, including
if this was a settlement agreement, what the value of that payment was.
Please see above regarding confirmation of information sought. Please
note that whilst GSA can provide overall figures (total numbers and
amounts) it will not be possible to provide details of individual payments
relating to Settlement Agreements owing to restrictions placed on GSA by
the Data Protection Act.
Best Regards
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
E: [1][GSA request email]
Dear Foicoor,
To clarify yes, I am seeking information relating to settlement requests.
Yours sincerely,
Suzanne Lees
Dear Suzanne,
Thank you for this clarification. As detailed in the email below, we will endeavour to respond as soon as possible, and no later than 4 September 2019.
Best regards,
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
Dear Suzanne
Ref: GSA FoI 18/19 386
Unfortunately this request has been subject to a short delay – and we will
not manage to respond by the original deadline of 4 September (as stated
in our email of 22 August, below).
Please accept our sincere apologies – we will respond as soon as possible,
and by Friday 6 September at the latest.
Kind Regards
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
E: [1][GSA request email]
[2]cid:[email address]
Dear Suzanne
Ref: GSA FoI 18/19 386
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request, which was received by
Glasgow School of Art on 7 August 2019.
The responses below and attached were received from GSA’s Head of Human
Resources:
· Re: information on the number of non-disclosure /
confidentiality agreements issued to staff at the point of terminating
their employment with GSA (for whatever reason) since January 2014 till
present day.
None. GSA does not issue NDAs or confidentiality agreements. As with most
organisations, standard confidentiality clauses often feature within any
formal Settlement Agreements but these do not prevent GSA or individuals
from providing information to relevant authorities.
Per year, please state
· i) the number of such agreements issued
None.
· ii) the grade of staff that agreement was issued to;
N/A
· iii) if any payment was issued alongside that agreement at the
point of termination, including if this was a settlement agreement, what
the value of that payment was.
Please see above regarding confirmation of information sought. Please note
that whilst GSA can provide overall figures (total numbers and amounts –
see attached) it will not be possible to provide details of individual
payments relating to Settlement Agreements owing to restrictions placed on
GSA by the Data Protection Act 2018. We are withholding this information
under Section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
(concerning third party personal data).
This concludes our response to your request.
Your right to seek a review: -
If you are dissatisfied with the way in which the Glasgow School of Art
has dealt with your request, you have the right to ask us to review our
actions and decisions. If you wish to request a review, please contact Mrs
Janet Allison, Academic Registrar, [1][email address] or email:
[2][GSA request email] within 40 working days. Your request must be in a
recordable format (letter, email, audio tape, etc.). You will receive a
full response to your request for review within 20 working days of its
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Please find the direct link to this service at
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The Commissioner recommends that you [4]appeal online.
Other ways to appeal include:
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By post to: Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn
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Kind Regards
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
E: [6][GSA request email]
[7]cid:[email address]
From: Foicoor
Sent: 04 September 2019 15:14
To: Suzanne Lees <[8][FOI #595788 email]>
Cc: Foicoor <[9][email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Use of non disclosure /
confidentiality agreements
Dear Suzanne
Ref: GSA FoI 18/19 386
Unfortunately this request has been subject to a short delay – and we will
not manage to respond by the original deadline of 4 September (as stated
in our email of 22 August, below).
Please accept our sincere apologies – we will respond as soon as possible,
and by Friday 6 September at the latest.
Kind Regards
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
E: [10][GSA request email]
[11]cid:[email address]
Dear Foicoor,
Many thanks for the information. Just for clarity, the answers to the questions posed e.g.
information on the number of non-disclosure /
confidentiality agreements issued to staff at the point of terminating
their employment with GSA (for whatever reason) since January 2014 till
present day.
The answer was 'none' but the spreadsheet attached shows SA's per year? I'm just wanting to double check that whilst narratively 'none' have been cited but the spreadsheet confirms there have been? Could you clarify the difference between the spreadsheet and the answers given please? Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Suzanne Lees
Dear Suzanne
Thank you for your enquiry. I have contacted the member of staff who compiled the information for clarification and will get back to you as soon as I hear.
Kind Regards
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
E: [GSA request email]
Dear Suzanne
Ref: GSA FoI 18/19 386
Thank you for your enquiry. The reference 'none' related to the NDA
question (i.e. (i)). The table was provided in response to the SA
question (i.e. (iii).
If you have any further questions, please let us know.
Kind Regards
Academic Quality Office
Glasgow School of Art | 167 Renfrew Street | Glasgow G3 6RQ
E: [1][GSA request email]
[2]cid:[email address]
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