The Commissioner's approach to approving publication schemes
In 2010, following a review of the experience of publication schemes to date, the Commissioner introduced a revised approach to approving schemes from 2011 onwards. The consultation and review of publication schemes page of this website provides more information about the background to the review and its findings.
Key to the revised approach is a single model publication scheme, developed and approved by the Commissioner. The model scheme is suitable for adoption by any Scottish public authority. The Commissioner will still accept bespoke schemes, but these will be assessed using the model scheme as a benchmark.
Authorities adopting the model scheme do not have to submit a scheme for approval (as the model scheme is already approved by the Commissioner). They do however have to notify the Commissioner that they have adopted the scheme. Authorities cannot amend the model scheme itself - instead, they are required to produce a separate guide to the information that they publish through the scheme. These two documents - the model scheme and the authority's guide to information - together comprise the authority's publication scheme. guide to information and model scheme then accompanies the model scheme. Read more about what authorities have to do on the Model Publication Scheme 2012 page.
The Commissioner's staff resources have moved from approving individual schemes to monitoring the operation of both the model and bespoke schemes by public authorities, and promoting best practice.
The Commissioner surveyed the experience of authorities who adopted last year's model scheme and you can read the resulting report here:
Publication Scheme Survey Report (Pdf - 270Kb)
Four year programme of approvals
The Commissioner approves a new model scheme each year for a period of four years according to a four year rolling programme of scheme approvals for different sectors in Scotland. Approvals normally expire on 31 May each year. Each of the previous sector specific model schemes will expire on that sector's renewal date, and will be replaced by the single model scheme approved for that year.
| Year | Sector whose schemes will expire in each year |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Scottish Parliament and Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, Scottish Government, its agencies and non-ministerial office holders |
| 2013 | Local government, assessors, licensing boards, transport partnerships, joint boards, community justice authorities, universities and colleges, police authorities |
| 2014 | National health service bodies |
| 2015 | Bodies listed in Part 7 of Schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and wholly publicly owned companies |
There is more information about the bodies that are subject to freedom of information law in the Who can I ask? page of the "Your Rights" section of this website.