Freedom of Information
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives you the right to request recorded information held by the University, for example records of meetings, expenditure and research.
St Mary’s University College Belfast is subject to the Freedom of Information Act and, as such, is committed to ensuring that information held by the College is made available to the public whenever it is possible and/or appropriate to do so within its terms.
Requests for Information
Under Freedom of Information, members of the public are entitled to request, in writing, information that is held by the College and, subject to certain exemptions, to have that information supplied to them within 20 working days.
SAR’s (Subject Access Requests)
The UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) Article 15 gives individuals the right of access to any of their personal data that the University holds about them.
This is known as a Subject Access Request (“SAR”).
What is the time limit for responding to a SAR?
The University must respond to a SAR as quickly as possible and no later than one calendar month.
A calendar month starts on the day the University receives the request even if that day is a weekend or a public holiday. It ends on the corresponding calendar date of the following month. However, if the end date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday, the calendar month ends on the next working day. Also, if the corresponding calendar date does not exist because the following month is shorter and there is no corresponding calendar date, the date for response is the last day of the following month.
The clock starts to tick as soon as a request is received and it is important that all requests are forwarded without delay. If the request is complex the response time can be extended to a maximum of 3 calendar months starting from the day after receipt of the request.
Further information on SAR’s available from ICO. website
To make a request contact the Information Officer providing your full name, contact details, and describe in as much detail as you can the information you would like. Please note that a full name is required for a request to be valid.
Write to:
Academic Registrar
St Mary’s University College
191 Falls Road
Belfast
BT12 6FE
Or Email