Is there information that may not be provided to me?

There is some information that we may not disclose to you as it falls under the exemptions included in FOISA.

Information that we may deem to be exempt and therefore will not be provided to you in response to your requests include (among other things):

• Information that is available elsewhere, such as on the GTC Scotland website.
• Documentation relating to ongoing Fitness to Teach investigations/hearings.
• Personal information about any member of GTC Scotland staff or Council or any other living identifiable individual.
• Legal advice which has been received by GTC Scotland from our legal advisers.
• Commercially sensitive information.
• Information that is no longer held under our Records Management Policy and Records Retention Schedule.

A number of the exemptions are also subject to a public interest test.

This means that we must consider the balance of the rights of the public knowing the content of the information against any potential harm that may be caused by releasing the information into the public domain.

When information is released to an individual under FOISA, it is deemed to be disclosed to the general public and therefore we must carefully consider the effects of public disclosure.