Guide to information
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2022 (the Act) requires Scottish public authorities to produce and maintain a publication scheme.
Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- publish the classes of information that they make routinely available
- tell the public how to access the information and what it might cost
SEPA has adopted the Model Publication Scheme produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner.
You can see this scheme on the Scottish Information Commissioner's website or by contacting us at the address below.
The purpose of this guide to information is to:
- allow the public to see what information is available (and what is not available) in relation to each class
- state what charges may be applied
- explain how to find the information easily
- provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information
- explain how to request information we hold that has not been published
The classes of information that we publish
We publish information that we hold within the following classes.
Once information is published under a class, we will continue to make it available for the current and previous two financial years.
- Class 1: About SEPA
- Class 2: How SEPA delivers its functions and services
- Class 3: How SEPA takes decisions and what it has been decided
- Class 4: What SEPA spends and how it spends it
- Class 5: How SEPA manages its human, physical and information resources
- Class 6: How SEPA procures goods and services from external providers
- Class 7: How SEPA is performing
- Class 8: Our commercial publications
- Class 9: Our open data
Where information has been updated or superseded, only the current version will be available. If you would like to see previous versions, you may request to us for that information.
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model scheme is, wherever possible, available on our website.
We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online or by inspection at our premises.
We can, for example, usually arrange to send information to you in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information previously mentioned.
If a document contains information that is exempt under Scotland's freedom of information laws (for example sensitive personal information or a trade secret), we will remove or redact the information before publication and explain why.
Copyright
Where SEPA holds the copyright in its published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- it is copied or reproduced accurately
- it is not used in a misleading context
- the source of the material is identified
Where SEPA does not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make this clear.
Please also refer to SEPA's terms and conditions of use of data.
Charges
The section explains when we may make a charge for our publications and how any charge will be calculated.
There is no charge to view information on our website or at our premises, except where there is a statutory fee, for example, for access to registers.
We may charge for providing information to you-for example, for photocopying and postage- but we will charge you no more than it actually costs us to do so. We will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you.
Our photocopying charge per sheet of paper is as follows:
| Size of paper | Pence per sheet of paper |
|---|---|
| A3 | 10 |
| A4 | 5 |
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.
Please note that this charging schedule does not apply to our commercial publications/data (see Class 8). These items are generally offered for sale under licence.
Please note that separate charges apply for unpublished information which can be obtained via submitting a request.
Contact us
You can contact us for assistance with any aspect of this publication scheme, including by writing to us:
SEPA
Angus Smith Building
6 Parklands Avenue
Eurocentral
Holytown
North Lanarkshire
ML1 4WQ
We will also advise you how to ask for information that we do not publish or how to complain if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of this publication scheme.