Published Information

All Scottish public authorities have produced a document called a publication scheme that shows:

• the information already available or that they intend to make available
• where you can find the information
• whether it is available free of charge or on payment of a fee.

If an authority’s publication scheme is available on its website it may provide links to copies of documents which you can download or read online.

Q.  What information does a publication scheme include?

A. Usually the publication scheme will include information such as:

• management or board meeting minutes
• the authority’s annual budget
• details of the services provided by the public authority.

Other information may also be included: for example, a local authority publication scheme might show classes of information such as educational services, housing services, and social services. The housing services class might include details of housing allocation and anti-social behaviour policies.

A publication scheme also includes contact details of staff who will deal with requests for information, and tells you how you should make a request. If you are not sure whether information is included in the publication scheme you can ask these staff for help. The publication scheme should be available on the authority’s website or provided on request.

Q. What if the information I need isn't in the publication scheme?

A.  If the information you are looking for isn’t in the authority’s publication scheme, you can still ask them to provide it.

making a request >>