Freedom of Information
Just like other public bodies, Dott is required to implement the Freedom of Information Act. Since becoming law in November 2000, the Act intends to foster a culture of openness in Government and public bodies. It establishes a right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities and imposes obligations on public authorities to disclose information, subject to a range of exemptions.
Access rights came into force in January 2005, making anyone able to make a request for information, although the request must be in writing (letter or email). The Act gives applicants two related rights:
- The right to be told whether the information exists.
- The right to receive the information, where possible, in the manner requested.
In some cases, where information is exempt from disclosure, Dott is required to consider if the public interest in maintaining the exemption in question outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
One of the aims of the Act is that all public authorities should be clear and proactive about the information they make available. Section 19 of the Act requires each authority to produce a publication scheme that sets out:
- The classes of information the public authority publishes or intends to publish.
- The manner in which they will be published.
- Whether the information is available free of charge or on payment.
The publication scheme is operated by Cornwall Council. What is its aim? The aim of the scheme is to explain what information Cornwall Council routinely makes available and, wherever possible, to provide an easy method of accessing this information.
Publications Scheme
This scheme is operated by Cornwall Council.
The scheme contains the following classes of information:
- Annual Reports from 2006
- Minutes of Board Meetings of Dott
Note: These documents, or some of them, may contain information which is subject to one, or some, of the exceptions from publication, for reasons relating to personal information, formalisation of Government policy, legal professional privilege, committee interests and/or information provided in confidence.
The approach taken in the formulation of the scheme is to assist access by the public to the information held by Cornwall Council, whilst protecting the interests of individuals working for and with Cornwall Council.
How to request information
Cornwall Council will accept requests for information in the following forms:
Email requests should be sent to
foi@cornwall.gov.uk
Written requests to:
Central Scanning Unit
Chief Executive’s Department
Cornwall Council
County Hall
Truro
Cornwall TR1 3AY
Please include the following details when you request information:
- Your name and address
- The documents you would like to access
- The way you would like the information to be sent to you (eg hard copy or via email)
We are unable to accept telephone requests. Why? Because under the recommendations of the Freedom of Information Act, we must receive a request in a permanent form.
Information online
We intend to make the majority of our information available online. Some publications are in PDF format and to view them you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not have the software, just ask and we will send you a printed version following a written request.
Responding to requests
We will respond to your email or written request within ten working days. If we can get our hands on the information with ease, our response will include the information you require.
Are there any charges for information?
We will make as much information available to you free of charge. Occasionally, if excess copies of information are required, then we may make a charge.
Complaints procedure
Our policy is to be as open as possible and supply the information you have requested. We may withhold information if we consider its release would cause significant harm.
Dott Cornwall takes care to ensure that the materials, information and data (collectively referred to as the ‘Materials’) on this site (referred to in this section as the ‘Website’) are accurate and up-to-date. However, we must emphasise that the Materials are provided without warranty or guarantee of any kind, whether express, implied or statutory, or whether relating to title, the rights of third parties or otherwise.
Dott Cornwall reserves the right, at its absolute discretion, to add, revise or remove any Materials without notice.
We have designed these Materials for guidance and general information purposes only, Dott Cornwall assumes no responsibility for information contained in the Website and disclaims all liability in respect of such information.
We’d like to think we’re bug-free, but Dott Cornwall makes no warranty that the Materials are free of infection by computer viruses or other contamination. The downloading of any of our Materials is at your risk and you, the user, will be solely responsible for any damage or loss, whether suffered by the user or a third party in consequence of the user's actions, which results from a download and/or use of any such Materials.
Dott Cornwall is not responsible for any content of any other website accessible from the Website. And we don’t endorse or, in any respect warrant, any third party products or services by virtue of any information, material or content referred to or included on, or linked from or to the Website.
The host server for the Website is located in England, and the applicable law in respect of the Website shall be the laws of England and Wales only.
Free access 24-7. Use of this website is free and we take steps to ensure it is available 24 hours a day to all permitted users. However, we do not warrant that the site will be continuously available, or that your use of the site will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that the site and server will be free from attack.
It is impossible to provide an exhaustive list of exactly what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable use of this website. But to sum it up, we will not tolerate any use of our website which damages, or is likely to damage, our reputation, the availability or integrity of the website, or which causes us or threatens to cause us to incur any legal, tax or regulatory liability.
You will be able to access most of the areas of our site without registering your details with us. In the future, certain areas of our site may only be available if you register.
Dott is proud to say that we endeavour to make sure that every page of our website complies with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This site has been built to achieve Priority Level 3 checkpoints.
Give Us Your Feedback
We are committed to providing an accessible service at Dott. If you experience problems or have any suggestions for improvement, please email us at info@dottcornwall.com
Company Registration
Company registration number: 5750958. Registered office: Stella House, Goldcrest Way, Newburn Riverside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 8NY
