Introduction
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requires Scottish public authorities to produce and maintain a publication scheme. Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- Publish the classes of information that they make routinely available
- Tell the public how to access the information and what it might cost.
WICS has adopted the Model Publication Scheme (MPS) produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC). This guide has been prepared to take account of the MPS 2018 which was produced and approved by the SIC on 01 November 2018.
You can see the model publication scheme on the SIC website. You can obtain our documentation on our website, or by contacting us at the address below:
The Water Industry Commission for Scotland
First Floor, Moray House
Forthside Way
Stirling
FK8 1QZ
Email us: foi@wics.scot
The purpose of this guide is to:
- Allow you to see what information is available (and what is not) in relation to each class.
- State what charges may be applied.
- Explain how you can find the information easily.
- Provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information.
- Explain how to request information we hold that has not been published.
Alongside the Act, the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (the EIRs) provides a separate right of access to the environmental information that we hold. This guide also contains details of the environmental information that we routinely make available.
Terms used in this guide
| FOISA | The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. This act gives you the right to ask for and receive information from WICS |
| MPS | WICS adopt the Model Publication Scheme as a standard framework for publishing information under Section 23 of the FOISA |
| Guide to information | This Guide, which helps to support individuals to access information that is held by WICS |
| Classes of information | The nine categories of information that are published by WICS under the MPS |
| Open data | Data made available by WICS, as described by the Scottish Government’s Open Data Resource Pack and available under an open licence. |
Availability and formats
The information we publish is, wherever possible, available on our website. We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online, for example, we can usually arrange to send information to you in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information below. If a document contains information that is exempt under FOISA (for example sensitive personal information), we may remove or redact the information before publication, but we will explain why.
Copyright
Where WICS holds the copyright in its published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- it is copied or reproduced accurately
- it is not used in a misleading context, and
- the source of the material is identified
Where WICS does not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make this clear.
Charges
Published information
This section explains when we may make a charge for our publications and how any charge will be calculated. There is no charge to view information on our website.
We may charge for providing information to you e.g. photocopying and postage, but we will charge you no more than it costs us to do so. We will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you.
Our photocopying charge per sheet of paper is shown in the tables below:
Size of paper |
Pence per sheet of paper |
|
| Black and white photocopying | A3 | 6 |
| A4 | 3 | |
| Colour photocopying | A3 | 58 |
| A4 | 29 |
Information provided on memory stick will be recharged at cost per memory stick. Postage costs will be recharged at the rate we pay to send the information to you by First Class Royal Mail.
When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy of the total print run.
We do not pass any other costs on to you in relation to our published information.
Unpublished information
This section explains that we may charge for providing information that is unpublished, but to which access can be obtained by submitting a FOISA or EIRs request to us.
The approach to charging fees here depends on whether the request has been made under FOISA or the EIRs.
In the case of FOISA requests, the following can be charged to the person making the request:
- the direct and indirect costs in locating, retrieving and providing the information;
- the cost of editing or redacting documents once a decision is made to disclose or redact parts;
- the cost for making summary or digesting of information, if this is what is requested; and
- postage and packaging
We cannot charge for deciding whether we hold the information or for deciding whether any exemptions apply, including the cost of obtaining legal advice.
The total cost is calculated based on the number of hours required to locate and retrieve the information, with a limit of £15 per person per hour for staff time, together with the costs associated with providing the information (as outlined above). The hourly rate implies a fully loaded staff cost including overheads of less than £30k per year, which equates to an annual salary of not more than £15k.
If the total cost is less than £100, then we cannot charge for responding to the request. If the total cost of the request exceeds £600, we can refuse the request. If the total cost is more than £100, but less than £600, we can charge the applicant 10% of the total of the cost. Therefore, the maximum cost is £50 per request (10% x (£600 - £100)).
In the case of EIRs requests, we will charge the actual costs associated with locating, retrieving and providing the environmental information, which represents the actual cost to us of employing the member(s) of staff involved in handling and responding to the request and actual cost of providing the environmental information in the requested format and by the requested means.
If a charge is to be made, a fees notice will be issued within 20 working days of receipt of the request, setting out the projected cost. The fees notice must be paid within three months.
If we determine that the actual costs associated with the request are less than what was charged to and paid by you, we will refund the overpayment of the fee to you.
If we determine that the actual costs associated with the request exceed what was charged to and paid by you, we may not seek an additional fee payment from you.
Contact us
You can contact us for assistance with any aspect of this publication scheme at the address above. We will also be pleased to advise and assist any individual seeking to make a request for information, whether it is published or not.
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of this publication scheme you are entitled to raise this with us, and if necessary, make a complaint. You can find our complaints process here: How to complain about the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) | WICS.
Classes of information
Once our information is published it remains available on our corporate website until superseded. In addition, our information is archived by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) and can be found on the NRS website.
We publish information that we hold within the following classes.
Class 1: About WICS |
|
Information about WICS, who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed and our external relations. Water Services etc (Scotland) Act 2005: Water Services etc (Scotland) Act 2002: Our registered office and contact details: Biographies of Board Members and other staff: Our role and remit: Governance arrangements and Corporate Plan: Register of Interests: Requesting information: Publication scheme and guide to information: Complaints: News and articles: Publications: Consultations: Vacancies: |
Class 2: How we deliver our functions and services |
|
Information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering functions and services and information for our service users. Our work: Strategic Review of Charges: Scottish Water’s performance: Household customer information: Business customer information: How to become a retailer: Current suppliers: |
Class 3: How we take decisions and what we have decided |
|
Information about the decisions we take, how we make decisions and how we involve others. Board Meeting Notes: Board papers: decisions regarding publication of Board papers will be made on a case by case basis, depending on the paper in question. Contact us for more details. Price setting 2021-27: Price setting 2027-33: Consultations and decisions relating to WICS business: |
Class 4: What we spend and how we spend it |
|
Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources (in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend public money and what has actually been spent. Financial reviews contained within our annual reports: Financial Policies and guidelines available on request. Senior staff salaries: |
Class 5: How we manage our human, physical and information resources |
|
Information about how we manage the human, physical and information resources of WICS. Human resources: Who’s who: Biographies of Commission Members: Recruitment: Office policies: please contact us for information on our policies. Engagement policy: Physical resources: Business Continuity Plan available upon request. Information resources: Complaints Handling Procedure: Records Management Plan: Transparency statements: Corporate website privacy policy: |
Class 6: How we procure goods and services from external providers |
|
Information about how we procure goods and services, and our contracts with external providers. Public Contracts Scotland buyer details page: |
Class 7: How we are performing |
|
Information about how we perform as an organisation, and how we deliver our functions and services. Annual reports: Reporting to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: Reporting to the National Records of Scotland: Reporting on Whistleblowing: |
Class 8: Our commercial publications |
|
Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal. We do not operate on a commercial basis and therefore have nothing to disclose under class 8. |
Class 9: Our open data |
|
Open data made available by WICS as described by the Scottish Government’s Open Data Resource Pack and available under an open license. We strive to ensure our information is as accessible and open as possible. Please contact us if you require assistance in any way. |