Guide to Information
Last reviewed: October 2019
Quick Links
Class 1 - About the Housing Association
Class 2 - How We Deliver Our Functions and Services
Class 3 - How we take decisions and what we have decided
Class 4 – What we spend and how we spend it
Class 5 – How we manage our resources
Class 6 - How we procure goods and services from external providers
Class 7 – How we are performing
Class 8 – Our commercial publications
At a glance – terms used in this document
What is FOI?
|
Term Used |
Explanation |
|
FOISA |
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 Places a duty on those organisations covered to proactively publish certain types of information; and to respond to requests for information; and to provide advice and assistance to those making requests for information. |
|
EIRs |
Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004 Those organisations covered by EIRs have a duty to respond to requests for environmental information |
|
SIC |
The Scottish Information Commissioner Who is responsible for ensuring that those bodies covered by FOISA and EIRs comply with the terms of the legislation. |
|
MPS |
Model Publication Scheme Produced by the SIC – this details all of the information that those subject to FOISA should publish (if they hold it) |
|
Guide to Information |
A guide that all organisations subject to FOISA and adopting the MPS must produce to help people access the information it makes available |
|
Classes of Information |
Nine broad categories describing the types of information authorities should publish (if they hold it).
|
Background
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requires that all housing associations/co-operatives in Scotland must produce and maintain a publication scheme. This must detail all of the key information that we publish and how you can access it. This Guide to Information is our publication scheme, and contains links to where you can find all of the information listed online.
Thenue Housing Association has adopted the Scottish Information Commissioner’s (SIC) Model Publication Scheme(MPS), and this Guide has been approved by the SIC.
Formats other than online
All of the information listed is available on our website (unless stated), and completely free to access online. However, we understand that not everyone will have online access and where this is the case you can contact us to view this in our office (where this would be convenient).
If you would like a printed copy of any of the information listed, unfortunately we may have to charge a small fee to provide this. This fee will never exceed the cost of photocopying and postage – and we will let you know any total cost before we forward this to you.
Our charges for providing any information detailed in this guide are summarised below:
|
Format |
Charge |
|
Online |
Free |
|
View at our office |
Free |
|
Print in A4 black and white |
15p per sheet |
|
Print in A3 black and white |
25p per sheet |
|
Print in A4 colour |
25p per sheet |
|
Print in A3 colour |
40p per sheet |
|
CD Rom |
£1 (includes disk) |
|
Memory Stick |
£8 (includes stick) |
Postage Costs
Postage costs may be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you. Our charge is for sending information by Royal Mail First Class.
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 on any other costs to you in relation to our published information.
If you would like to request information that we publish in a format other than online, or arrange a visit to our office to view information, please contact:
The People and Culture Manager
0141 550 3581
Charges for information which is not available under the scheme
If you submit a request to us for information which is not available in this Guide, the charges will be based on the following calculations:
General Information Requests
- There will be no charge for information requests which cost us £100 or less to process
- Where information costs between £100 and £600 to provide, you may be asked to pay 10% of the cost. That is, if you were to ask for information that cost us £600 to provide, you would be asked to pay £50 calculated on the basis of a waiver for the first £100 and 10% of the remaining £500
- We are not obliged to respond to requests which will cost us over £600 to process
- In calculating any fee, staff time will be calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £20 per person per hour
- We do not charge for the time to determine whether we hold the information requested, nor for the time it takes to decide whether the information can be released. Charge may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you.
- In the event that we decide to impose a charge we will issue you with notification of the charge (a fees notice) and how it has been calculated. You will have three months from the date of issue of the fees notice in which to decide whether to pay the charge. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge. If you decide not to proceed with the request there will be no charge to you
Charges for Environmental Information is provided under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) rather than FOISA.
The rules for charging for environmental information are slightly different.
We do not charge for the time to determine whether we hold the environmental information requested or deciding whether the information can be released. Charges may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you e.g. photocopying and postage.
If we decide to impose a charge we will issue you with notification of the charge and how it has been calculated. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge.
If you decide not to proceed with the request there will be no charge to you. Charges are calculated on the actual cost to us of providing the information.
- Photocopying is charged at 10p per A4 sheet for black and white copying, 20p per A4 sheet for colour copying
- Postage is charged at actual rate for Royal Mail First Class
- Staff time is calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £20 per person per hour
The first £100 worth of information will be provided to you without charge.
Where information costs between £100 and £600 to provide, you will be asked to pay 10% of the cost. That is, if you were to ask for information that cost us £600 to provide, you would be asked to pay £50, calculated on the basis of a waiver for the first £100 and 10% of the remaining £500.
Where it would cost more than £600 to provide the information to you, however, we will ask you to pay the full cost of providing the information, with no waiver for any portion of the cost.
Charges for requesting your own personal data
There is no charge for requesting your own personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Subject Access Request. We must provide a copy of the information free of charge. However, we can charge a ‘reasonable fee’ when a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, particularly if it is repetitive. We may also charge a reasonable fee to comply with requests for further copies of the same information.
Further information on GDPR can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. Click here to access
Information that we cannot publish
Whilst we will try to make all of the information we have detailed available, in rare cases there may be some information that we cannot make available. For example, sometimes if we were to publish certain Board minutes, it could reveal personal details about an individual. This would be a breach of Data Protection legislation if we were to do so. When this is the case, we will remove any personal details before publication and highlight where and why we have done so.
For how long will information be published?
We aim, where possible, to publish information for at least the current and previous two financial years. When we review any document – e.g. our policies – to avoid confusion we will only publish the current version once it has been updated.
Copyright and re-use
Where we hold the copyright on our published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- It is copied accurately
- It is not used in a misleading context
- The source of the material is identified
Contact Us
If you have any queries about anything contained within this Guide to Information, or if there is some information that you cannot find that you would like to access, please contact:
Thenue Housing Association
423 London Road
Glasgow
G40 1AG
0141 550 3581
The Information that we make available to you
Under the MPS, the information we provide must be listed under certain “classes” of information. These are the categories of information that are detailed below. As FOI applies to other bodies and sectors across Scotland – such as Scottish Government and Councils for example –this means that not all of the categories in the MPS apply to housing associations/co-operatives.[1]
The details of all the information we hold under each of the classes that apply to our organisation, and hyperlinks to access this information when available online, are outlined below.
|
Where to access |
|
|
Class 1 - About Thenue Housing Association Information about Thenue Housing Association, who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed and our external relations. |
|
|
Descriptions of who we are |
|
|
Mission Statement |
|
|
Vision |
|
|
Values |
|
|
Strategic Objectives |
|
|
Area(s) of operation |
|
|
Key Activities, Strategic/Corporate plan(s) |
Available on request |
|
Business Plan (or summary) |
Available on request |
|
Our Service Standards |
|
|
Location and opening arrangements |
|
|
Address |
|
|
Telephone number and e-mail address for general enquiries (and dedicated lines where appropriate) |
|
|
Opening Times |
|
|
General Contact Arrangements |
|
|
Local/Area Office Contact Details |
|
|
Contact Details for Making a Complaint |
|
|
Information relating to Freedom of Information |
|
|
Publication Scheme and Guide to Information |
This page |
|
Charging Schedule for Published Information |
This page |
|
Contact Details and Advice on Making an FOI Request |
|
|
Freedom of Information Policies and Procedures |
|
|
Charging Schedule for Environmental Information Provided in Response to Requests Made Under EIRs |
This page |
|
About our Governing Body |
|
|
List of Governing Body Members · Names · When They Became a Governing Body Member · Professional Biographical Details · Office-Bearing Responsibilities · When They Became an Office-Bearer |
|
|
Description of the Role of the Governing Body · Governance Structure Chart (Including Sub-Committees and Working Groups); · Remits for Governing Body and any Sub-Committees |
|
|
How to Become Part of the Governing Body |
|
|
About our staff |
|
|
List of Senior Management Team, Including Professional Biography and Contact Details |
|
|
Organisational Structure |
|
|
Governance Documents and Corporate Policies |
|
|
Rules/Articles |
|
|
Standing Orders |
|
|
Membership Policy |
|
|
Code of Conduct for Staff |
|
|
Code of Conduct for Governing Body Members |
|
|
Entitlements Payments and Benefits Policy |
|
|
Register of Interests |
|
|
Equalities Policy |
|
|
Health and Safety Policy |
|
|
Sustainability Policy |
|
|
Relationship with Regulators |
|
|
Engagement Plan with Scottish Housing Regulator |
|
|
Assurance Statement |
|
|
Annual Return on Charter Submission to SHR |
|
|
Financial Returns to SHR |
|
|
Charter Report to Tenants |
|
|
Internal and External Audit arrangements |
|
|
Group Details |
|
|
Details of our Subsidiaries |
|
|
Key Partnerships |
|
|
Strategic Agreements With Other Organisations |
|
|
Class 2 – How we deliver our functions and services Information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering services and information for our service users. |
|
|
How to use our services |
|
|
List of Services Provided |
|
|
How to Report a Repair |
|
|
Right to Repair Information |
|
|
How to Apply for a House |
|
|
How to get Information About Tenancy Support |
|
|
How to Make a Complaint |
|
|
How to Speak to a Housing Officer |
|
|
How we Consult With Tenants and Other Customers to Inform and Improve Service Delivery and Develop New Services |
|
|
Policies and Procedures |
|
|
Allocations Policy |
|
|
Adaptations Policy |
|
|
Anti-Social Behaviour Policy |
|
|
Asbestos Management Policy |
|
|
Arrears Management Policy |
|
|
Asset Management Policy (Including Stock Condition Information) |
|
|
Customer Care Policy |
|
|
Data Protection Policy |
|
|
Environmental Information Regulations Policy (EIR) |
|
|
Equality and Diversity Policy |
|
|
Estate Management Policy |
|
|
Health and Safety Policy and procedures |
|
|
Legionnaires Inspection/Prevention Policy |
|
|
Procurement Policy |
|
|
Risk Management Policy |
|
|
Rent Setting Policy |
|
|
Repairs Policy |
|
|
Sustainability Policy |
|
|
Tenant Engagement Policy |
|
|
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. |
|
|
Governing Body Meetings |
|
|
Governing Body Meeting Minutes |
|
|
Governing Body Meeting Reports/Papers |
Available on request |
|
Governing Body Agendas |
|
|
Consultation and Participation |
|
|
Tenant Participation Strategy |
|
|
Consultation Reports Noting the Outcome of any Recent Consultations With Tenants/Others |
|
|
Tenant Scrutiny Panel Composition |
|
|
Registered Tenant Organisations |
|
|
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). |
|
|
Information about our accounts and budgets |
|
|
Description of Funding Sources |
|
|
Audited Accounts |
|
|
Budget Policies and Procedures |
|
|
Budget Allocation to Key Service Areas |
|
|
Our Programme of Work and Projects |
|
|
Brief Details of Any Project Funding and How It’s Being Spent |
|
|
Capital Works Programme/Plans Information (Annual Programme Figure) |
|
|
Spending relating to Staff and Governing Body |
|
|
Expenses Policies and Procedures |
Available on Request |
|
Senior Staff/Governing Body Member Expenses at Category Level e.g. travel, Subsistence and Accommodation |
|
|
Board Member Remuneration Other Than Expenses |
We currently do not remunerate our board members |
|
Pay and Grading Structure |
Available on Request |
|
General Information About Staff Pension Scheme |
|
|
Class 5 – How we manage our resources Information About How we Manage our Human, Physical and Information Resources |
|
|
Human resources |
|
|
Strategy and Management of Human Resources |
|
|
Staffing Structure |
|
|
Human Resources Policies, Covering: · Recruitment · Performance Management · Salary and Grading · Promotion · Pensions · Discipline · Grievance · Staff Development · Maintenance and Retention of Staff Records |
Available on Request |
|
Trade Union information |
|
|
Summary of Professional Organisations/Trade Bodies of Which we are a Member |
|
|
Physical Resources |
|
|
Management of our Land and Property Assets, Including Environmental/Sustainability Reports |
|
|
General Description of our Land and Property Holdings |
|
|
Estate Development Plans |
|
|
Information Resources |
|
|
Records Management Policy and Records Management Plan, Including Records Retention Schedule |
|
|
Data Protection Policy |
|
|
Class 6 - How we Procure Goods and Services From External Providers Information About how we Procure Works Goods and Services, and our Contracts With External Providers. |
|
|
Our Contractors and suppliers |
|
|
Information About our key Service Delivery Contractors who Carry out: · Responsive Repairs · Landscape Maintenance · Planned/Cyclical Maintenance |
|
|
List of Suppliers and Contractors Used by Organisation (Provided to Staff Under our Entitlements Payments and Benefits Policy) |
|
|
Information About Regulated Procurement Contracts Awarded (Value, Scope, Duration) |
Available on Request |
|
Our Procurement |
|
|
Procurement Policy and Procedures |
|
|
Information on how to Tender for Work and Invitations to Tender |
|
|
Register of Contracts Awarded Which Have Gone Through Formal Tendering, Including Name of Supplier, Period of Contract and Value |
Available on Request |
|
Links to Procurement Information we Publish on Public Contracts Scotland Website |
Tenders are published on our behalf by consultants |
|
Framework Agreements |
|
|
Class 7 – How we are performing Information About how we Perform as an Organisation, and how well we Deliver our Functions and Services |
|
|
Annual Report |
|
|
ARC Report to Tenants |
|
|
Performance Standards/Indicators |
|
|
Benchmarking Information |
|
|
Complaints Policy, Guidance and Forms |
|
|
Complaints Reports or Equivalent to Show how Complaints are Handled and Influence Service Delivery |
|
|
Tenant Scrutiny Reports |
|
|
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 |
|
|
This Class Does not Apply to Thenue Housing Association as we do not Produce any Publications for Sale. |
Not applicable |
|
Open data made available by us under the Scottish Government’s Open Data Resource Pack and available under open licence. |
|
|
This class does not apply to Thenue Housing Association |
Not applicable |
[1]In the MPS Class 8: Commercial Publications and Class 9: Our Open Data do not apply to RSLs.