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Paisley Campus
Paisley
PA1 2BE
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Tel 0141 848 3000
Our ref: F10/066

17 May 2010

Dear Mr Benson

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information requested

Your request for information has been considered and the information is enclosed. The
University does not have any regulations that apply specifically to terrorism but does have a
number of processes in place which may be relevant to the topics that you raised. You were
interested in:

Q1. Any information or advice provided to students or staff on any potential liability
under Terrorism legislation which might result from accessing materials for teaching
or research? Pease provide copies of any documents held which detail or refer to
such information or advice.
We do not have any University-wide materials. Student behaviour is covered by the
University's policies including but not limited to its code of discipline and its policy for
acceptable use of IT systems and we believe that the terms used in these policies are cast
sufficiently widely to cover any aspects relevant to terrorism legislation. The Regulations
and Policy can be found in our Publication Scheme at
http://www.uws.ac.uk/schoolsdepts/foi/mps.asp.

Under the terms of the Act, a request for information can be refused where one or more
exemptions listed in the Act apply. In this case the University is claiming an exemption
under Section 25 of the Act, namely the information is otherwise accessible, e.g. in the
Publication Scheme.

With regards to staff the University commits itself to sustain an environment within which
academic freedom can be effectively exercised while academic staff are bound by proper
regard for their colleagues, for the University’s interests and by the usual rules of
professional academic engagement within their discipline and within the University..

Q2. Any procedure to review or assess reading lists, module descriptors or other
teaching materials which explicitly or in practice considers questions of safety and
risk under terrorism legislation as part of its remit? Please supply full details of this
policy and procedure and advise when and how it was decided upon and
implemented.
We do not have any modules review process that explicitly mentions terrorism legislation.
However all of our modules are subject to internal scrutiny by members of the Subject
Development Group and our validation events also include external members. Reading lists
are considered as part of the module approval process.
Q3. Any system, policy or procedure in place for dealing with any potential actions
taken by the authorities against the institution, its students or staff under Terrorism
legislation? Please supply a copy of the policy and advise the date it was decided
upon and implemented.
The university cooperates fully with the police and other authorities in any inquiry they may
have, including inquiries related to criminal or similar behaviour by its staff or students. In
view of this, the University considers the risk of "potential actions taken by the authorities
against the institution" to be minimal, and has not considered it necessary to have a policy to
cover cooperation under terrorism legislation.

Q4. Any system, policy or procedure in place for ‘preventing violent extremism’ as
recommended for example in the government guidance document ‘Promoting Good
Campus Relations’. Please indicate what procedures or policy exist and advise when
it was decided upon and implemented, and provide copies of any documents held
which detail or refer to such policy or procedures.
Again we do not use the words violent extremism but our Code of Discipline (Regulation 12
– see response to Q1 above) covers a number of circumstances including, inter alia, conduct
which is a criminal offence, threatening or offensive behaviour, distributing or publishing any
form of publication which is threatening, illegal or calculated to make others fearful, anxious
or apprehensive, and harassment of any student or member of staff (including on grounds of
religion or political belief). Our regulation does permit free expression which is within the law
(12.2.1.13). Currently the revised Code of Discipline is going through the approval process.
It goes before Senate for approval next month. Also we monitor the attendance of all
research students and they are seen by their Director of Studies once a month, in response
to a Borders Agency initiative.

In addition the University takes account of the guidance supplied by the Equality Challenge
Unit (ECU) Promoting good campus relations, fostering shared values and preventing violent
extremism in Universities and Higher Education Colleges and Promoting good campus
relations: dealing with hate crimes and intolerance in relation to promoting good relations on
campus and preventing unlawful activity (http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/promoting-good-
campus-relations-update).

The University has informal links with the Police divisions close to our four campuses and a
Police Liaison Committee, which meets periodically, includes nominees from the relevant
Police divisions.

If you are not satisfied with the handling of your enquiry you have a right to review under the
Act as laid out in the notices below.

Yours sincerely

Ann McGeachy
FOI & Records Manager
Notices

1. Complaints

In the event that you have any complaint about the handling of your request for information, you can
invoke the University complaints procedure by writing to the University Secretary at the address
below:

Kenneth Alexander, University Secretary, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus,
Paisley, PA1 2BE Email: Kenneth.Alexander@uws.ac.uk

A response to your complaint will be sent within the next 30 days.

2. Right of Review

In the event that you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request for information, you may also
require us to review our actions and decisions relating to your request (‘Review Request’).

Your Review Request must be made to us in writing or in other durable form, stating your name and
address for correspondence, specifying the request for information to which your Review Request
relates and the matters that have given rise to your dissatisfaction.

It must be provided to us within 40 working days (which phrase excludes Saturdays, Sundays,
Christmas Day and Scottish Bank Holidays) after the expiry of the period within which we were
obliged under the Act to respond to your request for information.

You may withdraw your Review Request by notice to us in writing at any time.

Assuming your Review Request is not withdrawn, we are required to conduct our review and respond
to you (‘Review Response’) within 20 working days (which phrase excludes Saturdays, Sundays,
Christmas Day and Scottish Bank Holidays) after the date on which we received your Review
Request. The request for review should be addressed to:

Kenneth Alexander, University Secretary, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus,
Paisley, PA1 2BE Email: Kenneth.Alexander@uws.ac.uk

3. Right of Appeal

In the event that you have not withdrawn your Review Request and we have failed to respond to you
within the proscribed time, or you are dissatisfied with our Review Response, you may apply to the
Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether we have dealt with your request in
accordance with the Act (‘Appeal Application’).

Your Appeal Application must be made to the Scottish Information Commissioner in writing or in
other durable form, stating your name and address for correspondence, specifying the request for
information to which your Appeal Application relates and the matters that have given rise to your
dissatisfaction.

It must be provided to the Scottish Information Commissioner within six months after the date you
received our Review Response or, in the event that we did not provide you with a Review Response
within the proscribed time, within six months after the expiry of that period. The address of the
Scottish Information Commissioner is:

Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16
9DS Tel 01334 464 610; Fax 01334 464 611; email: enquiries@itspublicknowledge.info;
www.itspublicknowledge.info