South West Regional Development Agency

Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act requires every public authority to adopt and maintain a publication scheme which has been approved by the Information Commissioner, and to publish information in accordance with the scheme. 
 
As of January 2009, there will be one approved model scheme which must be adopted by all public authorities. The South West Regional Development Agency has adopted the new model scheme. The scheme commits the Agency to proactively provide information to the public as part of its normal business activities. 
 
The kind of information we will publish routinely on our website falls into seven broad classes of information as defined by the Information Commissioner in the guidance for Non Departmental Public Bodies. 
 
The South West RDA aims to publish information on our website which falls within these classes of information unless:

• We do not hold the information
• The information is exempt under one of the FOI exemptions or Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) exceptions, or its release is prohibited in another statute
• The information is archived, out of date or otherwise inaccessible, or
• It would be impractical or resource-intensive to prepare the material for routine release

Guide to information

You will find information and documents which fall under these broad classes by navigating our website, using the site map, or by searching the website. You can also use the A - Z guide to our publications, or the links on the classes of information page. Information provided on our website in this way is free of charge. In addition, some RDA publications are also available for review in public libraries in the South West region.

The person responsible for the publication scheme within the South West RDA is:  
 
Alison McCarthy (Information & FOI Officer) 
 
If you cannot find the information you are seeking on our website, you can make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act or Environmental Information Regulations to: 
 
Alison McCarthy 
Information & FOI Officer 
South West RDA 
Sterling House 
Dix's Field 
Exeter  
EX1 1QA 
 
Email: foi@southwestrda.org.uk 
 
Telephone: 01392 229585 
Fax: 01392 466887 

Copyright

If you wish to reproduce our publications for educational purposes, you must clearly acknowledge the source and not amend our publications in any way. If you wish to re-use our publications or information for commercial purposes you must contact us for permission. You may need to apply for a copyright licence to re-use our information in this way.

Complaints Procedure

If, following a request for information, you are dissatisfied with the response you have received from the South West RDA, you can seek an internal review of the decision by contacting Alison McCarthy at the address above. 
 
If you do not agree with the decision we made regarding the disclosure of information and our use of the exemptions or exceptions under the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information Regulations, then you can request a review of the decision by a panel of staff from our Decisions & Appeals Board. Our Freedom of Information Complaints Procedure (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 45.19kb) provides more information. 
 
If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner: 
 
The Information Commissioner 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire SK9 5AF 
Tel: 01625 545700 
Fax: 01625 524510 
 
www.ico.gov.uk

Requesting information from the South West RDA

Before making an FOI request, please check what's already available on our website. The Publication Scheme requires us to make available on our website a wide range of information that falls under seven broad classes (link to classes of information) 
 
To make a request for information, contact Alison McCarthy at the address given above 
 
Requests must be in writing and must include your name and an address (either postal or e-mail). Please be as specific as possible about the information you would like, as this will help us to respond promptly. Where possible, please include a contact telephone number so that we can contact you to discuss your request if necessary.  
 
We will respond to your request promptly and within 20 working days. The Act allows us to extend this deadline if we need to clarify your request with you, if we are charging you a fee, or if we are considering the public interest test. We will always acknowledge receipt of FOI requests made to the above address and we will let you know if we need to extend the deadline.  
 
For detailed advice on what sort of information is exempt please see the Information Commissioner's website, www.ico.gov.uk.

Charges

Most of our publications are available free of charge, and can be downloaded from our website. In some cases a charge for information may be applied. Depending on demand, a charge may be levied for sending out printed versions of documents that are available on our website. You will be advised of any charge at the time of your request.