黑料吃瓜网

Overview

The Freedom of Information Act (2000) came into force in 2005 and gives members of the public a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities.聽 It also sets out exemptions from that right, and places a number of obligations on public authorities. The Act was introduced to promote accountability and transparency in the public sector. Under the Freedom of Information Act, Birmingham City University is considered to be a public authority and therefore must be compliant with the terms of the Act.

Every Public Authority must;

• Proactively publish information about our activities in line with guidance from the Information Commission (IC), in a Publication Scheme. This is a guide to all the information that is routinely published.
• Make information that we hold available to those who request it within 20 working days, unless non-disclosure is permissible under one of the exemptions listed in the Act.

黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 FOI Publication Scheme

You should review聽黑料吃瓜网鈥橲 FOI Publication Scheme before submitting an FOI request, as 黑料吃瓜网 will not provide you with a different version of the same information already published in the publication scheme.

Making a Freedom of Information or Environmental Information Regulations request

A large proportion of our information is already accessible on the website, or via our聽publication scheme. However, if you cannot find information that you require, you can submit a Freedom of Information Request or Environmental Information Regulations request. 黑料吃瓜网 will handle such requests in accordance with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 or the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.

In order to be considered a valid request under the FOI Act or the EIR, a request for information should:

• Be in writing - This includes letters, emails and even social media posts. Note, additionally an EIR can be made verbally.
• Include a contact address to which we can reply. This includes a postal address, email address or even a social media contact detail.

Any valid request received by the University will be responded to within 20 working days. Where possible, we will provide the information in the manner you request. However, some information may be exempt from disclosure. Where this is the case, we will clearly explain which exemption we have applied and why.

To help us with our search, we encourage you to be as specific as possible when describing the information that you are requesting. This will also allow us to give a prompt response and ensure that we provide you with all of the relevant information that you request.

The University may charge a fee for the information or disbursements (postage, photocopying etc where reasonable).

To make a request for information under the FOI Act or EIR, please complete our聽谤别辩耻别蝉迟听蹿辞谤尘聽and send it to聽FreedomOfInformation@bcu.ac.uk. It is the same email address for FOI or EIR requests. If you choose not to use the online request form for your request, please still read the notes on the request form page which guides you as to what is / is not accessible through a Freedom of Information or Environmental Information request.聽聽

Alternatively, if you wish to submit your request in writing, please send it to:

Information Management Team
Birmingham City University
Floor 1, Joseph Priestley Building,
Cardigan Street,
Birmingham
B4 7BD

Or phone 0121 202 4597

There is also helpful聽on how to make a request.

Using AI to help draft information requests

AI tools can be helpful, but they can also introduce errors or create overly complex requests that increase the burden on public bodies and cost to the taxpayer. When using AI to help draft an information request, please make sure the final wording has been checked and reflects your actual information needs.

Before you submit a request or secondary correspondence, please check that:

• You are only asking for the information you are genuinely looking for.

AI tools sometimes generate broad or excessive wording that goes beyond the information you actually want or need.

• The request is clear, concise and focused.

Short, straightforward requests are easier for us to process and usually lead to quicker, more accurate responses.

• There are no obvious factual inaccuracies.

AI can misrepresent legislation or misstate what organisations do. Please review the text of your request carefully and don鈥檛 assume AI is right. If it has referred to something you don鈥檛 understand, check what it is.

• The tone is appropriate.

AI-generated content can sometimes sound abrupt, or otherwise inappropriate. Please check the tone before sending.

Why does this matter?

We are seeing an increase in requests and secondary correspondence that appear to have been drafted by generative AI. These can require additional clarification because of inaccuracies or unnecessary complexity. This creates delays for both requesters and our teams.

Need guidance? You can find聽 on the Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office website.

黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 FOI and EIR Compliance

The University compiles compliance statistics detailing performance of the handling of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) in accordance with the Freedom of Information Code of Practice. This information will be published quarterly. Our latest compliance data can be found .