Freedom of Information
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives everyone a right of access to information held by Scottish public authorities. Under Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (Designation of Persons as Scottish Public Authorities) Order 2019, Registered Social Landlords such as Govanhill Housing Association, have been designated as a public authority to whom the terms of the Act apply with effect from 11 November 2019.
The aim of the Act is to increase openness and transparency by allowing people to access information about how decisions are taken and how public services are delivered.
About Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act) requires Scottish public authorities to adopt and maintain a publication scheme which has the approval of the Scottish Information Commissioner, and publish information in accordance with that scheme.
Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- publish the classes of information that the authority makes routinely available
- tell the public how to access the information and whether information is available free of charge or on payment
We have adopted the Model Publication Scheme 2018, produced and approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner. The Scheme can also be viewed on the Scottish Information Commissioner website.
The scheme sets out our commitment to make certain classes of information routinely available, such as policies and procedures, minutes of meetings, annual reports and financial information. We have developed a Guide to Information for this purpose and this also contains details of the environmental information that we routinely make available.
Alongside the Act, the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (the EIRs) provide a separate right of access to the environmental information that we hold. It’s not always easy to know which law applies to which information. You may find this page from the Scottish Information Commissioner’s site useful.
This page on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website also gives a useful overview of Freedom of Information and your rights.
Disclosure Log
The Disclosure Log details each Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Request (EIR) that we have processed, including when it was received, what it concerned and our response to it. You can read it online here.
Contact Us
If you have a request for information, please complete and submit our Freedom of Information Request Form. Requests can also be made in writing, by email, video or audio tape.
If you have any questions or require a copy of the Model Publication Scheme 2018 or the Guide to Information in a different format, please contact:
Saqib Malik
Information Officer
t: 0141 433 2144
e:foirequest@govanhillha.org
Withholding Information
Under Freedom of Information legislation, information may be withheld if there is a good reason for doing so. If we withhold information, we will let you know why. If you are unhappy with our decision, or with the way we have dealt with your request, you can ask us to review our decision. If you do not agree with the outcome of the review, you can ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to investigate.
