Access to Information under the Data Protection Act
and the Freedom of Information Act

This document is also available in PDF format.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

The Armagh Observatory is a transparent and open organization and we publish a great deal of information about what we do on this website, which you can access by navigating through the website. In this part of our website we explain how you can get access to information of a personal nature which we may hold about you under the Data Protection Act and certain classes of information specified under the Freedom of Information Act.

SUBJECT ACCESS REQUESTS UNDER THE DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998

If you want to ask us for information which we may hold about you personally then this will be dealt with under the Data Protection Act 1998. This would include information relating to employment and training records òÀÓ anything which is limited to you as a person whether as an employee or partner of any kind.

If you wish to make such a request you should write to The Administrator, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG, e-mail: adminarm.ac.uk specifying the kind of information you wish to be made available to you and enclosing proof of identity.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

Publication Scheme

In order to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 organizations such as ours have to routinely publish information which we hold whenever possible.

The Information Commissioner, who is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, has drawn up a Model Publication Scheme for all public sector organizations, which we have decided to adopt and commit to. The Model Publication Scheme can be found at www.ico.gov.uk - PDF.

The Commissioner has also published a Definition Document for Non-Departmental Government Bodies setting out in some detail what his minimum expectations for such bodies are and which we have decided to adopt and commit to. The Definition Document for Non-Departmental Government Bodies can be found here.

We have reviewed the information we routinely put into the public domain to ensure we are compliant with the Definition Document. You will be able to see where we donòÀÙt hold relevant information or where for some reason we have decided not to routinely disclose information identified in the Definition Document by referring to our Publication Scheme Guidance to Information.

Most of the information we routinely make available can be accessed through our website by using the search facility. Such information is continually updated. If you cannot find information through the search engine and we have indicated in the Definition Document that the information is routinely available, this may be because the information cannot be loaded onto our website. In such circumstances please contact the Observatory at the address noted above and ask for the information to be provided to you.

Accessing information which is not included in the Publication Scheme.

As an open and transparent organization we are committed to routinely publishing as much information as possible; however if you want information which is not on our website or otherwise available through this guide to information you may ask us for it in accordance with further provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and of the Environmental Information Regulations 2005. Requests for such information should be sent to the Observatory at the address noted above.

By law we have to deal with such requests within 20 working days. If you make a request and are not satisfied with the way in which we deal with it you may ask us to review any decision we make. If you wish to undertake such a review you should write to Professor Mark Bailey, Director, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG, e-mail: mebarm.ac.uk. If you remain dissatisfied at the conclusion of any review you may write to the Information Commissioner whose address is:

The Information CommissioneròÀÙs Office Northern Ireland
3rd Floor
14 Cromac Place
Belfast BT7 2JB
Telephone: 028 9027 8757 or 0303 123 1114
Email: niico.gov.uk
Website: http://ico.org.uk/about_us/our_organisation/northern_ireland

Fees and Charges.

No charges will be made for any information accessed via our website. For any information which is provided in hard copy our rates for photocopying, reformatting and postage will be as follows:

1 single sided A4 black and white page is 5p
1 single sided A4 coloured page is 20p
Duplex (double sided) pages are twice these rates

If you want any further information about the provision of information or have any difficulty accessing information provided on our website please contact the Observatory at the address noted above.

See also:
Freedom of Information Act Main Page

Last Revised: 2014 October 16th