Guide to information
This document was last updated on January 13, 2023.
At a glance – terms used in this document
| Term | Explanation |
| FOISA | Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Places a duty on those organisations covered to proactively publish certain types of information; and to respond to requests for information; and to provide advice and assistance to those making requests for information. |
| EIRs | Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004 Those organisations covered by EIRs have a duty to respond to requests for environmental information. |
| SIC | The Scottish Information Commissioner Who is responsible for ensuring that those bodies covered by FOISA and EIRs comply with the terms of the legislation. |
| MPS | Model Publication Scheme Produced by the SIC – this details all of the information that those subject to FOISA should publish (if they hold it). |
| Guide to Information | A guide that all organisations subject to FOISA and adopting the MPS must produce to help people access the information it makes available. |
| Classes of Information | Nine broad categories describing the types of information authorities should publish (if they hold it). |
Background
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requires that all housing associations/co-operatives in Scotland must produce and maintain a publication scheme. This must detail all of the key information that we publish and how you can access it. This Guide to Information is our publication scheme, and contains links to where you can find all of the information listed online.
Scottish Veterans’ Residences has adopted the Scottish Information Commissioner’s (SIC) Model Publication Scheme (MPS), and this Guide has been approved by the SIC.
Formats other than online
All of the information listed is available on our website (unless stated), and is completely free to access online. However, we understand that not everyone will have online access and where this is the case you can contact us to view this in our office (where this would be convenient).
If you would like a printed copy of any of the information listed, we may have to charge a small fee to provide this. This fee will never exceed the cost of photocopying and postage – and we will let you know any total cost before we forward this to you.
Our charges for providing any information detailed in this guide are summarised below:
| Format | Charge |
| Online | Free |
| View at our office | Free |
| Print in black and white | 10p per A4 sheet |
| Print in colour | 20p per A4 sheet |
| CD-Rom | 50p |
| Posted document/CD-Rom | Cost of postage incurred |
If you would like to request information that we publish in a format other than online, or arrange a visit to our office to view information, please contact:
Scottish Veterans Residences
53 Canongate
Edinburgh
EH8 8BS
0131 556 0091
info@svronline.org
Information that we cannot publish
Whilst we will try to make all of the information we have detailed available, in rare cases there may be some information that we cannot make available. For example, sometimes if we were to publish certain minutes of meetings, it could reveal personal details about an individual. This would be a breach of Data Protection legislation if we were to do so. When this is the case, we will remove any personal details before publication and highlight where and why we have done so.
For how long will information be published?
We aim, where possible, to publish information for at least the current and previous two financial years. When we review any document – e.g. our policies – to avoid confusion we will only publish the current version once it has been updated.
Copyright and re-use
Where we hold the copyright on our published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- It is copied accurately
- It is not used in a misleading context
- The source of the material is identified
Contact us
If you have any queries about anything contained within this Guide to Information, or if there is some information that you cannot find that you would like to access, please contact:
Scottish Veterans Residences
53 Canongate
Edinburgh
EH8 8BS
0131 556 0091
info@svronline.org
The information that we make available to you
Under the MPS, the information we provide must be listed under certain “classes” of information. These are the categories of information that are detailed below. As FOI applies to other bodies and sectors across Scotland – such as Scottish Government and Local Authorities for example –this means that not all of the categories in the MPS apply to housing associations/co-operatives. (In the MPS Class 8: Commercial Publications and Class 9: Our Open Data do not apply to RSLs.)
The details of all the information we hold under each of the classes that apply to our organisation, and hyperlinks to access this information when available online, are outlined below.
Class 1 - About Scottish Veterans Residences
Information about Scottish Veterans Residences, who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed and our external relations.
Descriptions of who we are
| Information | Where to access |
| Mission statement | SVR Strategy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRStrategy.pdf) |
| Vision | SVR Strategy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRStrategy.pdf) |
| Values | SVR Strategy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRStrategy.pdf) |
| Corporate objectives | SVR Strategy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRStrategy.pdf) |
| Area(s) of operation | SVR Strategy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRStrategy.pdf) |
| Key activities: strategic/corporate plan(s) | SVR Strategy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRStrategy.pdf) |
| Business plan (or summary) | Business Plan |
Locations and opening arrangements
| Information | Where to access |
| Address | Contact page (https://www.svronline.org/contact/) |
| Telephone number and email address for general enquiries (and dedicated lines where appropriate) | Contact page (https://www.svronline.org/contact/) |
| Opening times | Contact page (https://www.svronline.org/contact/) |
| General contact arrangements | Contact page (https://www.svronline.org/contact/) |
| Local/area office details | Contact page (https://www.svronline.org/contact/) |
| Contact details for making a complaint | Contact page (https://www.svronline.org/contact/) |
Information relating to Freedom of Information
| Information | Where to access |
| Publication scheme and guide to information | This document |
| Charging schedule for published information | This document (see Appendix 1) |
| Contact details and advice on making an FOI request | Our FOI page (https://www.svronline.org/foi/) |
| Freedom of Information policies and procedures | Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Policy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/FreedomofInformationandEnvironmentalInformationPolicy.pdf) |
| Charging Schedule for environmental information provided in response to requests made under EIRs | Not currently available |
About our Governing Body
| Information | Where to access |
| List of Governing Body Members - Names; When they became a governing body member; Professional biographical details; Office-bearing responsibilities; When they became an office-bearer | Governing body members' profiles (https://www.svronline.org/resources/20191018-GOVERNINGBODYMEMBERSPROFILES.pdf) |
| Description of the role of the Governing Body: Governance structure chart (including sub-committees and working groups); remits for governing body and any sub-committees | Governance Structure (https://www.svronline.org/resources/20191003-GovernanceStructureChart.pdf) |
| How to become part of the governing body | Governing Body membership policy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/20191004-GoverningBodyMembershipPolicy.pdf) |
About our staff
Governance documents and corporate policies
Relationship with regulators
Key partnerships
| Information | Where to access |
| Strategic agreements with other organisations | Not currently available |
Class 2 – How we delivery our functions and services
Information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering services and information for our service users.
How to use our services
Policies and procedures
Class 3 – How we take decisions and what we have decided
Information about the decisions we take, how we make decisions and how we involve others.
Governing Body meetings
Consultation and participation
| Information | Where to access |
| Resident participation strategy | Resident participation strategy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/ResidentParticipationStrategy.pdf) |
| Consultation reports noting the outcome of any recent consultations with tenants/others | Tenant consultation letter, September 2019 (https://www.svronline.org/resources/TenantConsultationLetterSep19.pdf) |
Class 4 – What we spend and how we spend it
Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources (in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend public money and what has actually been spent).
Information about our accounts and budgets
| Information | Where to access |
| Description of funding sources | Description of funding sources (https://www.svronline.org/resources/DescriptionofFundingSources.pdf) |
| Audited accounts | SVR Annual Accounts 2020 (https://www.svronline.org/resources/20210811-SVR-Annual-Accounts-31Dec20.pdf) SVHA Annual Accounts 2018 (https://www.svronline.org/resources/20191004-SVHA-AnnualAccounts31DEC18.pdf) |
| Budget policies and procedures | Under review |
| Budget allocation to key service areas | Budget, 2019 (https://www.svronline.org/resources/Budget2019v1.pdf) |
Our programme of work and projects
| Information | Where to access |
| Brief details of any project funding and how it’s being spent | SVR project funding, 2019 (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRProjectFunding2019.pdf) |
| Capital works programme/plans information (annual programme figure) | Under review |
Spending relating to staff and governing body
| Information | Where to access |
| Expenses policies and procedures | Employee handbook (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EMPLOYEE-HANDBOOK-V4-JUL-2020.pdf) Remuneration of the Governing Body (https://www.svronline.org/resources/20191004-RemunerationofGoverningBodyMembers.pdf) |
| Senior staff/governing body member expenses at category level e.g. travel, subsistence and accommodation | Senior staff/Governing Body members expenses, Q2 2021 (https://www.svronline.org/resources/Senior-staff-governing-body-member-expenses-Quarter-2-2021.pdf) |
| Board member remuneration other than expenses | Board members are not remunerated |
| Pay and grading structure (levels of pay rather than individual salaries) | Under review |
| General information about staff pension scheme | Employee handbook (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EMPLOYEE-HANDBOOK-V4-JUL-2020.pdf) |
Class 5 – How we manage our resources
Information about how we manage our human, physical and information resources
Human resources
| Information | Where to access |
| Strategy and management of human resources | Employee handbook (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EMPLOYEE-HANDBOOK-V4-JUL-2020.pdf) |
| Staffing structure | Organisation chart (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVR-FOI-Organisational-Chart.docx) |
| Human resources policies, covering: recruitment; performance; management; salary and grading; promotion; pensions; discipline; grievance; staff development; maintenance and retention of staff records | Employee handbook (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EMPLOYEE-HANDBOOK-V4-JUL-2020.pdf) |
| Internal procedures relating to the above (where available) | Employee handbook (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EMPLOYEE-HANDBOOK-V4-JUL-2020.pdf) |
| Trade Union information | Employee handbook (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EMPLOYEE-HANDBOOK-V4-JUL-2020.pdf) |
| Summary of professional organisations/trade bodies of which we are a member | Professional memberships (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVRProfessionalmemberships.pdf) |
Physical resources
| Information | Where to access |
| Management of our land and property assets, including environmental/sustainability reports | Conditions survey: Rosendael (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVHADUNDEEROSENDAELCONDITIONSURVEYREPORT.PDF) Conditions survey: Gilmerton (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVHAEDINBURGHGILMERTONCONDITIONSURVEYREPORT.PDF) Conditions survey: Whitefoord House (https://www.svronline.org/resources/SVHAEDINBURGHWHITEFOORDCONDITIONSURVEYREPORT.PDF) Energy Performance Certificates (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EnergyPeformanceCertificatesAllSites.zip) Environmental Impact & Ecological Survey (https://www.svronline.org/resources/EnvironmentalImpactAndEcologicalSurvey.zip) Maintenance policy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/MaintenancePolicy-SVROct19Version.pdf) |
| General description of our land and property holdings | Under review |
| Estate development plans | Under review |
Information resources
| Information | Where to access |
| Records management policy and records management plan, including records retention schedule | Data Retention Periods (https://www.svronline.org/resources/PrivacyPolicyAppendix2RetentionPeriods.pdf) |
| Data protection or privacy policy | Data protection policy (https://www.svronline.org/resources/DataProtectionPolicy.pdf) |
Class 6 – How we procure goods and services from external providers
Information about how we procure works, goods and services, and our contracts with external providers.
Our contractors and suppliers
| Information | Where to access |
| Information about our key service delivery contractors who carry out: responsive repairs; landscape maintenance; planned/cyclical maintenance | Landscape Contractors for Scottish Veterans Residences (https://www.svronline.org/resources/ListofLandscapeContractors.pdf) |
| List of suppliers and contractors used by organisation (provided to staff under our Entitlements Payments and Benefits Policy) | Our Contractors and Suppliers (https://www.svronline.org/resources/20210709-GB-Members-Code-of-Conduct-AppendixB-Conflict-of-Interest-002.pdf) |
| Information about regulated procurement contracts awarded (value, scope, duration) | Buyer View - Public Contracts Scotland |
Our procurement
| Information | Where to access |
| Procurement policy and procedures | Under review |
| Information on how to tender for work and invitations to tender | Under review |
| Register of contracts awarded which have gone through formal tendering, including name of supplier, period of contract and value | Under review |
| Links to procurement information we publish on Public Contracts Scotland website | Buyer View - Public Contracts Scotland |
| Framework agreements | City of Edinburgh Council Framework Agreement (https://www.svronline.org/resources/ECCFrameworkContract.pdf) |
Class 7 – How we are performing
Information about how we perform as an organisation, and how well we deliver our functions and services
Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal
This class does not apply to Scottish Veterans Residences as we do not produce any publications for sale.
Class 9 – Our open data
Open data made available by us under the Scottish Government’s Open Data Resource Pack and available under open licence.
This class does not apply to Scottish Veterans Residences.
Appendix 1: Charging for information
Black and white photocopying
| Size of paper | Pence per sheet |
| A4 | 10p |
| A3 | 20p |
Colour Photocopying
| Size of paper | Pence per sheet |
| A4 | 20p |
| A3 | 40p |
Alternative formats
| Format | Charge |
| Computer discs | 50p |
Postage costs
Postage costs may be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you. Our charge is for sending information by Royal Mail First Class.
When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy of the total print run. We do not pass on any other costs to you in relation to our published information.
Charges for information which is not available under the scheme
If you submit a request to us for information which is not available in this Guide, the charges will be based on the following calculations:
General information requests
- There will be no charge for information requests which cost us £100 or less to process
- Where information costs between £100 and £600 to provide you may be asked to pay 10% of the cost. That is, if you were to ask for information that cost us £600 to provide, you would be asked to pay £50 calculated on the basis of a waiver for the first £100 and 10% of the remaining £500
- We are not obliged to respond to requests which will cost us over £600 to process
- In calculating any fee, staff time will be calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £15 per person per hour
- We do not charge for the time to determine whether we hold the information requested, nor for the time it takes to decide whether the information can be released. Charges may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you
- In the event that we decide to impose a charge we will issue you with notification of the charge (a fees notice) and how it has been calculated. You will have three months from the date of issue of the fees notice in which to decide whether to pay the charge. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge. If you decide not to proceed with the request there will be no charge to you.
Charges for Environmental Information Environmental information is provided under the EIRs rather than FOISA.
The rules for charging for environmental information are slightly different.
We do not charge for the time to determine whether we hold the environmental information requested or deciding whether the information can be released. Charges may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you e.g. photocopying and postage.
If we decide to impose a charge, we will issue you with notification of the charge and how it has been calculated. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge.
If you decide not to proceed with the request there will be no charge to you. Charges are calculated based on the actual cost to Edinburgh Leisure of providing the information:
- Photocopying is charged at 10p per A4 sheet for black and white copying, 20p per A4 sheet for colour copying.
- Postage is charged at actual rate for Royal Mail First Class.
- Staff time is calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £15 per person per hour.
The first £100 worth of information will be provided to you without charge.
Where information costs between £100 and £600 to provide, you will be asked to pay 10% of the cost. That is, if you were to ask for information that cost us £600 to provide, you would be asked to pay £50, calculated on the basis of a waiver for the first £100 and 10% of the remaining £500.
Where it would cost more than £600 to provide the information to you, however, we will ask you to pay the full cost of providing the information, with no waiver for any portion of the cost.
Charges for requesting your own personal data
There is no charge for requesting your own personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Subject Access Request. We must provide a copy of the information free of charge.
However, we can charge a ‘reasonable fee’ when a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, particularly if it is repetitive. We may also charge a reasonable fee to comply with requests for further copies of the same information. This does not mean that we can charge for all subsequent access requests. The fee must be based on the administrative cost of providing the information.
Further information on GDPR can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. Click here to access.
