FOI and Records Management 

Will I have to keep everything forever?

No, Records Retention Schedules are available on the Records Management intranet pages. 

A retention schedule is a guidance note on how long certain types of documents should be kept and at what point they can be destroyed.  The retention schedules will take into account all the legal requirements we have to keep documents and any other best practice guidance given e.g. Quality Assurance Agency, Scottish Funding Council, National Archives, etc. etc.

A detailed list of legislation which impacts on records management and retention schedules is available on the Records Management intranet pages. 

Where do we find info about retention schedules?

Records Retention Schedules and guidance are available on the dedicated Records Management/Records Retention Schedules intranet pages.

I have received a request for electronic information which has been deleted.  What should I do?

If the email or file is in an electronic waste bin which has not been emptied then the information will still be readily accessible and should therefore be disclosed.  Where an email or file has been deleted and it can only be retrieved by an IT specialist, the Scottish Information Commissioner takes the view that the information is no longer held by the public authority.

Is there any advice for managing emails?

The Act says that where a request for information is made by e-mail, it is presumed to have been received by the authority the same day (sec.74(2)(be)). This means that the 20 working days "clock" will start counting down from the day after receipt, whether you are in the office to read it or not. 

Specific guidance for the management and retention of emails is available on the Records Management/Email Management intranet pages.

How long should we keep student records?

There is guidance on how long and how to keep student records on the relevant Records Retention Schedules and the University's Data Protection Code of Practice intranet site.