Ulster University is committed to the principles of open and accountable government and to promoting understanding of its activities. In addition, the University has been designated as a public authority under the provisions of Schedule I, part IV of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Under the terms of the UK General Data Protection Regulations, Data Protection Act 2018, and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, individuals have rights in regard to obtaining information held by the University.
Personal data can be accessed by submitting a Subject Access Request to gdpr@ulster.ac.uk
Requests for Information Held by the University
Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, you can ask the University to provide you with any information held by the University. For example, you may wish to see the minutes of a particular meeting, see the Register of Interests for Council Members or obtain standard information about student data.
The University already makes public large quantities of the information that it holds and a description of all that we publish is detailed in our Publication Scheme.
Before submitting any request, you are advised to check the above web address to determine whether the information you require is already available.
If you wish to make an enquiry about data held by the University and which does not seem to be already available, then please email your request to foi@ulster.ac.uk or submit a request in writing to Eoin Coyle, Data Protection & Information Compliance Manager, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine BT52 1SA. The Data Protection & Information Compliance Manager can also be contacted on telephone no. 028 71675525.
Under Section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act, the Vice-Chancellor is the University's Qualified Person.
When we receive your request we will start a search for the information you need. If we cannot determine exactly what information you require, we will contact you as soon as possible to clarify your request. If we already publish the information you require, we shall send you details of how to find the information.
The information you need will be located and provided to you in your preferred format. Please note, however, that some information may be exempt from disclosure: should that be the case, we will provide what information we can and also provide reasons why other information has not been released to you.
Please note that we may charge a fee under Section 9 of the FOIA to recover our communication costs, such as for photocopying, printing and postage. In such circumstances, the University is allowed more time, pending the receipt of the necessary fee. In charging such fees, the University will at all times comply with the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 and also guidelines published in respect of such fees by the Information Commissioners Office
The University will usually have 20 working days to respond to your request or longer if we have requested a fee.
Please be careful to specify clearly all the information you require. We will make all reasonable efforts to locate this information, though we may need to ask you to provide more detail if your original application does not allow us to identify exactly what you want. If you require advice on how to specify your needs, please contact the Data Protection & Information Compliance Unit on telephone no. 028 7012 4114.
The University will not provide statistical information analysed to any greater level of detail than is normally provided with the University’s standard published information.
If the University does not hold the information you have requested, then we will write to you to inform you of this. Where possible, we will suggest alternative ways in which you may be able to access the information you require. If some/all of the information you request is held by another public authority, then we will provide what information we can. We then suggest that you consider transferring the remainder of the request to the relevant authority.
If you are not satisfied with how the University has dealt with your request, you may raise the matter under the University's internal review process for FOI requests. Please submit written details of your appeal to Clare Jamison, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, email at universitysecretary@ulster.ac.uk. Appeals must be submitted within 40 working days from receipt of the University’s response. The University will normally undertake to issue a decision on an appeal within 20 working days of receipt.
FOI FAQs
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FOI FAQs
The following are some frequently asked questions to assist in the understanding of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("FOIA").
Can I request personal data under FOIA?
The FOIA gives individuals the right to request information held by public authorities. It does not provide a right of access to personal information held about an individual. If someone is requesting their personal data, this is handled as a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection legislation. For further information on exercising your Data Protection rights, please visit Data Protection at Ulster University
Why have I been asked to clarify my request?
There maybe occasions were we cannot identify the information being requested from the details that may have been provided. In this case, we will seek clarification from the requester. The statutory timescale of 20 working days does not start until we have received this.
Will there be a charge?
Section 12 of the FOIA provides an exemption (appropriate limit) were costs are estimated to exceed £450 for a public authority to comply with a request for information. Costs are calculated at £25 per hour and up to 18 hours for staff time to locate and retrieve the information. In these cases, the University may refuse the request. We will ask the applicant to narrow the scope of the request, we may be able to provide the information free of charge because it would cost less than the appropriate limit to do so.
How will my request be dealt with?
As a requirement of the FOIA, the University is obliged to comply with requests for information within 20 working days following receipt of a request.
In cases where we are considering the application of an exemption that is subject to a public interest test (known as a qualified exemption), the FOIA requires the university to reach its decision within such time that is reasonable in the circumstances.
What are exemptions?
There are 23 exemptions from the right of access and two categories of exemptions. Some information is exempt from disclosure and does not have to be provided.
What are vexatious and repeated requests?
Where the university has previously complied with a request for information and subsequently receives an identical or similar request from the same individual, we are not obliged to comply with this request until a reasonable interval has elapsed between compliance with the first request and receipt of the current request. A request for information will be treated as vexatious where it is of a frivolous nature, if it is likely to cause distress, or if it is aimed at disrupting of the work, or harassing the University.
What is the public interest test?
The public interest test provides that a public authority must release information unless, 'in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information'. This requires the authority to make a judgement about the public interest.
What format will the information be supplied in?
When making a request you can state a preference of how you would like the information communicated to you. This could be in hard copy, or an electronic copy of the information. We will do our best to supply you with the information in this format. However, if this is not practical for us to do so, we will let you know.