Freedom of information
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’) gives a general right of access to recorded information held by public bodies such as Cambridge University Press (‘the Press’). The Act also sets out exemptions from the general rule.
The Act also imposes a number of duties on public bodies which include
- the creation and maintenance of publication scheme stating all the information which is held and is publicly available; and
- managing individual requests for information.
Any person who wishes to request information from the Press must do so in writing to legalservices@cambridge.org or The Legal Services Director, Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8RU, England.
Subject to a number of conditions and exemptions, the Press must comply with a request made under the Act within 20 working days of receipt.
Upon receipt of a request the Press’s duties are:
- to confirm whether or not the Press holds the information;
- whether there will be any cost involved in supplying the information;
- to provide the information; and
- to advise and assist applicants (e.g. where broad requests are made or an applicant is unsure what they are looking for).
What is a valid Freedom of Information Request?
A valid request is a request in writing for specific information which the Press holds and includes requests by email and fax. There is no need for the applicant to cite the Act.
Charging
The Press may charge and applicant for the supply of information.
There is no obligation to supply information if the cost of such would exceed the limit imposed in regulations of £450.
Complaints
Any complaints or comments regarding the way a request was handled should be directed to legalservices@cambridge.org or The Legal Services Director, Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8RU, England.
Publication Schemes
Cambridge University Press is a department of the University of Cambridge and as such is covered by the University's Publication Scheme. This may be found at http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/information/foi/publication.html. However where there is further information on this department this may be found in the statement at this link (PDF). This statement provides information in addition to that found on the University of Cambridge’s Publication Scheme.