Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Publication schemes

23 Publication schemes

(1) A Scottish public authority must—

(a) adopt and maintain a scheme (in this Act referred to as a “publication scheme”) which relates to the publication of information by the authority and is approved by the Commissioner;

(b) publish information in accordance with that scheme; and

(c) from time to time review that scheme.

(2) A publication scheme must specify—

(a) classes of information which the authority publishes or intends to publish;

(b) the manner in which information of each class is, or is intended to be, published; and

(c) whether the published information is, or is intended to be, available to the public free of charge or on payment.

(3) In adopting or reviewing its publication scheme the authority must have regard to the public interest in—

(a) allowing public access to information held by it and in particular to information which—

(i) relates to the provision of services by it, the cost to it of providing them or the standards attained by services so provided; or

(ii) consists of facts, or analyses, on the basis of which decisions of importance to the public have been made by it;

(b) the publication of reasons for decisions made by it.

(4) The authority must publish its publication scheme but may do so in such manner as it thinks fit.

(5) The Commissioner may—

(a) when approving a publication scheme, provide that the approval expires at the end of a specified period; and

(b) at any time give notice to an authority revoking, as from the end of the period of six months beginning at that time, approval of its publication scheme.

(6) The Commissioner, when—

(a) refusing to approve a proposed publication scheme; or

(b) revoking approval of a publication scheme,

must state the reason for doing so.

24 Model publication schemes

(1) The Commissioner may, in relation to Scottish public authorities falling within particular classes—

(a) prepare and approve model publication schemes; or

(b) approve such schemes prepared by other persons.

(2) If an authority which falls within the class to which an approved model publication scheme relates adopts that scheme without modification, no further approval of the Commissioner is required so long as that model scheme remains approved; but the approval of the Commissioner is required in relation to any modification of the scheme by an authority.

(3) The Commissioner may—

(a) when approving a model publication scheme, provide that the approval expires at the end of a specified period; and

(b) at any time publish, in such manner as the Commissioner thinks fit, a notice revoking, as from the end of the period of six months beginning at that time, approval of such a scheme.

(4) The Commissioner, when—

(a) refusing to approve—

(i) under subsection (1)(b), a proposed model scheme; or

(ii) any such modification as is mentioned in subsection (2),

must state the reason for doing so; or

(b) revoking approval of a model publication scheme, must include in the notice under subsection (3)(b) a statement of the reason for doing so.