External Representation

The University of Edinburgh is a member of the following external bodies:

Universities Scotland Freedom of Information Working Group
Scottish Higher Education Information Practitioners Group (SHEIP)

Universities Scotland Freedom of Information Working Group

The Universities Scotland Freedom of Information Working Group first met in March 2003 with the following remit:

To produce sector specific guidance in the form of a model action plan (MAP) for records management in support of freedom of information legislation

Model action plan

To produce publication scheme advice
To gain the sectors support for the generic approach and to gain the approval for the MAP from the Scottish Information Commissioner on behalf of the sector.

The Group drafted a model publication scheme (MPS) for the Scottish Higher Education sector.

Model Publication Scheme

Further information about Universities Scotland is available on the Universities Scotland web site.

Universities Scotland web site

Universities Scotland is also represented on the Scottish Freedom of Information Implementation Group, whose minutes and papers are available on the Scottish Executive's web site.

Scottish Freedom of Information Implementation Group minutes and papers

Scottish Higher Education Information Practitioners Group (SHEIP)

The University of Edinburgh is a member of the Scottish HE Information Practitioners Group, an informal group under the Universities Scotland umbrella for those working in Scottish universities and responsible for implementing data protection and freedom of information legislation. Members of the Group have been nominated by their institutions, and Universities Scotland has endorsed the Group's establishment.

The purpose of the group is to support Scottish universities in their work principally to comply with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Data Protection Act 1998 and to encourage best practice particularly in Records Management. The group discusses common issues of concern, shares experiences and information, explores opportunities for collaboration, and keeps each other up-to-date with the latest developments in the field. The group maintains close links with the Universities Scotland Freedom of Information Working Group, and with other related groups.

The first meeting of the group was held on Monday 3 November 2003.

The group has produced very useful practical guidance on a range of freedom of information topics, which may be useful for University of Edinburgh staff.

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336