The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It is obliged to consider disclosure of information upon request; in taking a decision about disclosure it may use the exemptions provided in the Act. As required by the Act, the Society has produced a publication scheme, outlining the kind of information it will voluntarily make available. The information included in its publication scheme is already available and requests for other information will be considered. The Society has also adopted a model definition document, effective from 1st January 2009. More information is given below.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides, to any person upon written request, a general right of access to information held by a public authority. They have the right to be informed whether or not the authority is in possession of the information and, with certain exemptions, to have that information communicated to them. The Act obliges public authorities to provide and maintain a publication scheme which lays out the classes and subclasses of information that the authority will make available voluntarily. This scheme must give the terms under which the information will be provided, eg, whether or not there will be a charge for the information.
The Society has produced a publication scheme based on a model scheme developed by the Health Regulators Information Policy Group, which was approved in February 2004 by the Information Commissioner. The group agreed on five broad classes and subclasses of information in which material would be published. All of the information listed in the scheme is currently available. The Society has also set up internal procedures to ensure that the scheme is maintained and updated.
The Society has also adopted the Model Definition document for health regulators. This is available on the Information Commissioner's Office website.
The Society makes available information from the Definition Document on this website, and any information not available here can be requested in writing. Any individual making a request will be informed if the Society holds the information that they seek, and if appropriate the information will be provided to them. If we do not hold the information we will advise, where possible, on an alternative source. The Society will comply with the time limit set down in the Act of 20 days for responding to an enquiry. It will consider on a case-by-case basis the option of providing the information in a language other than English, and providing it in formats suitable for people with disabilities.
Anyone wishing to make a request for information from the Society should do so by contacting the Information Access Team (IAT) in writing.
e-mails should be sent to:
infoaccessteam@rpsgb.orgLetters should be sent to:
Information Access TeamThe Society aims to disclose information wherever possible. There are a number of reasons why a request to disclose may be refused, for example, where the relevant information is out of date or is covered by the Act's exemptions. These exemptions include but are not limited to:
The Society will also consider the resource implications of any request. Where the provision of information would require more than 2.5 days work, and/or where the cost exceeds £450, the Society will not disclose. This is in keeping with the Secretary of State’s Code of Practice. Please see the Publication Scheme and the Model Definition Document for further information.
If the Society has refused to release information, an enquirer has the right to appeal the decision. They must do so by writing to the Information Access Team within 28 days of receiving the decision. If an individual is not satisfied with the response, they can make a complaint, using the Society’s Complaints Procedure, and finally complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.