The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is subject to
the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It is obliged to consider
disclosure of information upon request; in taking a decision about
disclosure it may use the exemptions provided in the Act. As
required by the Act, the Society has produced a publication scheme,
outlining the kind of information it will voluntarily make
available. The information included in its publication scheme is
already available and requests for other information will be
considered. The Society has also adopted a model definition
document, effective from 1st January 2009. More information is
given below.
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides, to any person upon
written request, a general right of access to information held by a
public authority. They have the right to be informed whether or not
the authority is in possession of the information and, with certain
exemptions, to have that information communicated to them. The Act
obliges public authorities to provide and maintain a publication
scheme which lays out the classes and subclasses of information
that the authority will make available voluntarily. This scheme
must give the terms under which the information will be provided,
eg, whether or not there will be a charge for the information.
What this means: What the Society must do
The Society has produced a publication scheme based on a model
scheme developed by the Health Regulators Information Policy Group,
which was approved in February 2004 by the Information
Commissioner. The group agreed on five broad classes and subclasses
of information in which material would be published. All of the
information listed in the scheme is currently available. The
Society has also set up internal procedures to ensure that the
scheme is maintained and updated.
The Society has also adopted the Model Definition document for
health regulators. This is available on the Information
Commissioner's Office website.
- For the Society's publication scheme,
click
here
- For the Model Definition Document for Health Regulators, please
click here
The Society makes available information from the Definition
Document on this website, and any information not available here
can be requested in writing. Any individual making a request will
be informed if the Society holds the information that they seek,
and if appropriate the information will be provided to them. If we
do not hold the information we will advise, where possible, on an
alternative source. The Society will comply with the time limit set
down in the Act of 20 days for responding to an enquiry. It will
consider on a case-by-case basis the option of providing the
information in a language other than English, and providing it in
formats suitable for people with disabilities.
Anyone wishing to make a request for information from the
Society should do so by contacting the Information Access Team
(IAT) in writing.
e-mails should be sent to:
infoaccessteam@rpsgb.org
Letters should be sent to:
Information Access Team
Records
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
1, Lambeth High Street
London SE1 7JN
The Society aims to disclose information wherever possible.
There are a number of reasons why a request to disclose may be
refused, for example, where the relevant information is out of date
or is covered by the Act's exemptions. These exemptions include but
are not limited to:
- Requests where disclosure would be in breach of other
legislation, e.g., the Data Protection Act
- Requests for information that is commercially sensitive or
subject to legal or other professional privilages
- Requests for information that is intended for future
publication
- Requests where disclosure might prejudice law enforcement.
The Society will also consider the resource implications of any
request. Where the provision of information would require more than
2.5 days work, and/or where the cost exceeds £450, the
Society will not disclose. This is in keeping with the Secretary of
State's Code of Practice. Please see the Publication Scheme
and the Model Definition Document for further information.
If the Society has refused to release information, an enquirer
has the right to appeal the decision. They must do so by writing to
the Information Access Team within 28 days of receiving the
decision. If an individual is not satisfied with the response, they
can make a complaint, using the Society's Complaints
Procedure, and finally complain to the Information
Commissioner's Office.