Organisation information
Freedom of information (FOI) and data protection
From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Published on
Last updated on
Freedom of Information (FOI) and data protection legislation grants similar rights to access records, subject to conditions:
The department is subject to both sets of legislation and you can use any of the freedom of information acts, the GDPR or the data protection acts to access personal information that we hold.
In many cases, there will not be a significant difference between the FOI and data protection systems when you make a request for your personal data, but there are important differences between the two.
The FOI acts allow:
But the GDPR and the data protection acts:
Access to third parties’ personal information is subject to restrictions under FOI legislation and is generally prohibited under data protection legislation.
Find out how to make a: