Freedom of Information (FOI)

Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information provides a general right of access to all information held by public authorities, including universities. 

The Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002, which came into force at the beginning of 2005, provides public access to information to all types of recorded information held by Scottish public authorities, including the University of Dundee. The right is expressed in two actions:

Public authority requirements 

Public authorities are required to make publicly available specific information about their activities through the Publication Scheme, which explains what information it routinely puts into the public domain and how to access that information.

Please see further details on our Publication Scheme

Individual rights

Individuals are entitled to request and obtain information from public authorities. 

Recorded information

FOI only applies to recorded information. It won't cover someone's thoughts or opinions, unless they have been recorded and then retrievable. 

Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings. FOI requests must be made in writing. 

Environmental information 

The Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (the EIRs) gives everyone the right to ask for environmental information held by a Scottish public authority, including the University of Dundee.  

The EIR requests might include:

• the state of elements of the environment (for example air, atmosphere, or water)
• substances
• energy
• noise
• radiation or waste

And measures such as:

• policies
• legislation
• plans
• environmental agreements
• reports on the implementation of environmental legislation
• costs benefit and other economic analyses

EIR requests can be made verbally and in writing. However, it is recommended to put requests in writing to keep an accurate record. 

More information about Freedom of Information and Environmental Information can be found on the Scottish Information Commissioner's website

Making an FOI or EIR request 

Should you wish to request information from the University of Dundee, FOISA, or EIR, please contact the Information Governance team at [email protected]

You should provide: 

• your name (not needed if you’re asking for environmental information)
• a contact postal or email address
• a detailed description of the information you want (for example, you might want all information related to a specific academic year or programme) 

Also, you can ask that the information is provided in a particular format, such as: 

• paper or electronic copies
• audio format
• large print

Upon receiving your request, we will process it and provide a response within 20 working days, which excludes weekends and public holidays.  

Some information might not be disclosed due to some exemptions (FOI) or exceptions (EIR). 

You can check the Scottish Information Commissioner website for further details of exemptions and exceptions: 

• FOISA exemptions
• EIRs exceptions