Changes needed to comply with new publication scheme guidance

Requirement / What we publish now / Where / What extra required
Who we are and what we do (Organisational information, locations and contacts, constitutional and legal governance)
Roles and responsibilities – of the organisation and senior personnel / Role of orgncovered in:
‘Key facts about the Ombudsman’, ‘What we do’ (includes purpose),
‘Background’ and ‘Governance’ pages
‘Who we are’ identifies LGOs, with office contact details
Roles and responsibilities of LGOs and Deputies:
‘Management arrangements’ paper / ‘About us’ on website / Need to include Deputies on the ‘who we are’ page.
Organisation structure – functions of the orgnand how structure relates to the roles and responsibilities / Organisation charts on the ‘who we are’ page – only names senior staff.
‘Management arrangements’ paper as above. / ‘About us’ on website / Need to match up people with roles and responsibilities – cross reference to ‘management arrangements’
Information on relevant legislation / ‘Background’ page includes:
Information on LGA 1974, LGPIH and Fact sheet on RRO included on ‘Background’ page of website, links to statute websites / ‘About us’ on website / None
Lists of and information on organisations the orgn works in partnership with, including identifying sponsoring Dept / ‘Grant Memorandum’ – identifies sponsoring department
‘Links with other bodies’ page:
Covers PHSO and Standards Board, including RRO fact sheet, Memorandum of Understanding with SB / ‘Governance’ page
‘Links with other bodies’ page in ‘About us’ / Add also LGA, BIOA, DCLG
Senior staff and management board members – identification of, responsibilities of and biog details of those making strategic and operational decisions. / ‘Who we are’ identified LGOs.
Annual Report gives biographical details of LGOs, and some information on Audit Committee (only chair so far) / ‘About us’ on website.
Annual reports. / Need to add Deputies
Need to add biographical details of all to website.
Add Audit Committee members as well, and Audit Committee terms of reference (to Governance page)
Locations and contact details / ‘Who we are’ gives contact details of the three offices
‘Contact us’ give contact details for Advice Team / ‘About us’
‘Contact us’, on website / None
What we spend and how we spend it (Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, tendering, procurement and contracts, for current year plus two previous)
Financial statements, budgets and variance reports in sufficient detail to allow the public to see where money is being spent, where it is, or has been planned to spend it and the difference between the two. At least annual timescales – shorter (eg quarterly) if practicable. Revenue budgets and budgets for capital expenditure to be included. / Grant Memorandum
Financial Regulations
Corporate Plan
Annual Accounts / ‘Governance’ page
ditto
‘Annual Report’ page / Only latest accounts at present. Need to add two previous years.
Budget bid and BCRs will be included if Commission papers published.
Capital programme – major plans for capital expenditure / Corporate Plan / ‘What we do’ and ‘Governance’ pages of website / None
Spending reviews / Nothing / We don’t do any
Financial audit reports / Nothing / None
Staff and board members’ allowances and expenses – what can be claimed, total of what is paid to individual members of senior staff , related to categories – eg travel, subsistence, accommodation / Annual Accounts? / What can be claimed for staff in T&C of employment – can add to Recruitment section of website.
Publish total claimed by each LGO and Deputies?[1]
Pay and grading structures - This may be provided as part of the organisational structure and should indicate, for most posts, levels of pay rather than individual salaries / Nothing / Add pay scales to org charts.
Procurement and tendering procedures - inc. contracts currently availablefor public tender. / Only what is in
Financial Regulations / ‘Governance’ page of website / Add the Procedure Guide
List of contracts awarded and their value (of sufficient value to have gone through a formal tendering process) / Nothing / Contracts register
Financial statements for projects and events – financial reports which indicate actual expenditure against original project budget. The larger the project the more detail should be available. Events that are publicised, costs of these should be included. / Nothing / None
Internal financial regulations / Financial regulations / ‘Governance’ page on website / None
What our priorities are and how we are doing - Strategy and performance information, plans, assessments, inspections and reviews. Information should be for the current plus three previous years.
Strategic plans, annual business plan / Corporate plan / ‘What we do’ and ‘Governance’ pages of website / include three previous plans
Annual report / Latest Annual Report, plus previous year’s / ‘Annual report’ page of website / New site includes three years’ reports
Internal and external performance reviews
Reports to Parliament
Inspection reports (where NDPB subject to formal inspection) / Nothing / FMPR when they happen
Service standards / Purpose, vision on ‘What we do’ page
Business Goals in Corporate plan and Annual Report / ‘What we do’, ‘Governance’ and ‘Annual report’ pages of website / None
Statistics produced in accordance with the NDPB’s requirements / Nothing / Nothing applicable
Public service agreements / Nothing / Nothing applicable
Any other reports or recorded information demonstrating the orgn’s planned or actual performance / Customer Satisfaction Surveys / ‘Surveys’ page in ‘About us’ on website / None
How we make decisions – Policy proposals and decisions. Decision making processes, internal criteria and procedures, consultations – current plus three previous years’ information.
Major policy proposals and decisions (that can be released without damaging internal policy development) / Management arrangements
Corporate Plan, current / ‘Governance’ page in ‘About us’ on website / IT strategy
Communications Strategy
HR strategy
Training Business Plan
Background information relating to the above / Nothing / Would be included in Commission papers
Public consultations – consultation papers, results of consultation exercises / Nothing currently / Would put on website if we did any
Minutes of senior level meetings – Meetings where decisions are made about the provision of services. / Minutes of last three years’ Commission meetings (As we add 2009 minutes, this will comply with requirement) / ‘Governance’ page of website / In future will incorporate Deputies minutes as a paper to the Commission.
Add Audit Committee minutes
Reports and papers provided for consideration at senior level meetings
Information presented to those at meetings making executive decisions, excluding those elements properly considered to be private. / Nothing / Can add agenda and papers for Commission meetings (except exempt ones).
Internal communications guidance and criteria used for decision making, ie process systems and key personnel – where access to internal instructions, manuals and guidelines for dealing with the org’s business would assist public understanding of the way decisions are made these should be readily available. / Nothing – but we make the Investigation Handbook available on line to those who make a specific request. This is not charged for. If they want it in hard copy we charge for printing and postage, which works out around £20. / Put on website – and guidance on jurisdiction (Deputies have been consulted and have all agreed)
Our policies and procedures - Current written protocols for delivering our functions and responsibilities(current only)
Policies and procedures for conduct of departmental business
Policies and procedures for the provision of services
Copies of practice, memoranda of understanding and the like should be included. Some policies, eg E&D and H&S will cover both service provision and employment. Policies and procedures for handling information requests should be included / Memorandum of understanding with Standards Board
RRO Fact sheet
Access to Information statement
Publication scheme / ‘Links with other bodies page’ in ‘About us’ section of website.
Website page footer.
Publications section / Comes down to the Inv Handbook again, and maybe guidance on Jurisdiction and any other subject based practice notes. Suggest we don’t add any of this material to website.
Don’t suggest we add full policy on handling information requests either (at this stage at least)
Policies and procedures for the recruitment and employment of staff / Equality and Diversity Policy
Health and Safety Policy / ‘Working for us’ section of website, Publication scheme / Add HR policies to ‘working for us’ section of website.
Customer Service – Standards for the provision of service including the complaints procedure, inc complaints about FOI requests. / Standards relating to complaints included in ‘making a complaint’ section of website, inc complaints procedure. Complaints procedure for FOI requests in Publication scheme. / ‘Making a complaint’ section, ‘Publications’ section of website / None
Records management and personal data policies – to include information security policies, records retention, destruction and archive policies, and data protection policies / Records Management Policy statement
Data Protection Policy (job applicants and employees)
Data Protection Policy for complainants, in How we will deal with your complaint Fact Sheet / Publication scheme, in ‘Pubs’ section.
‘Working for us‘ section
‘Making a complaint’ section / Retention and Disposal policy, Information Security Policy (Ricky needs to think about this)
Charging regimes and policies / Charges for publications
Charges for LA training courses
Charges for ad hoc FOI requests / Publications order form
‘LA training’ section
Publication scheme / None
Lists and registers – Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the authority.
Public registers / Not relevant to us
Asset registers and information asset registerDon’t expect details from all asset registers – just some information from capital asset registers, and where an information asset register for the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations has been prepared it should be published. / Nothing / Have checked with Stephen and he says we only have asset registers for things like fixtures and fittings. Not worth publishing.
Disclosure logs – information disclosed in response to FOI requests / Nothing / Not recommended – complaint material cannot be disclosed in this way, and other requests usually very trivial.
Register of gifts and hospitality provided to board members and senior staff / We have a book, which is available for inspection. Don’t publish though / Refer to availability to view
Any register of interests / Commissioners registers of interest are available for public inspection and have been disclosed in response to an FOI request. / Add to website, and members code of conduct
Other lists required by law / Not relevant
The services we offer – Advice and guidance, booklets and leaflets, transactions and media releases. A description of the services offered
Regulatory responsibilities / Covered in ‘About us’ / ‘About us’ on the website
Services for public authorities / LA training section of website
Guidance on good practice
Special reports
Digest of cases
Complaint outcomes / ‘LA training’, ‘publications’, ‘complaint outcomes’ on website; plus hard copies as available / None
Services for industry
Services for other organisations / ‘Other organisations’ could include voluntary bodies, etc, but their requirements covered by the above, plus Guide for Advisers on website, and Advisers wall chart, and CYP pages on website / As above plus: ‘Guide for Advisers’, ‘CYP’ pages on website; Advisers wall chart (hard copy) / None
Services for members of the public / Publications as above; CYP pages; Making a complaint section
Complaint leaflets (hard copy)
Fact sheets / ‘Publications’; ‘CYP’ pages; ‘Making a complaint’ / None
Services for which the orgn is entitled to charges, and those fees / Only charge for publications (detailed on order form) and training courses (details on website). Also explain FOI ad hoc charges in publication scheme itself. / ‘Publications order form’; ‘LA training’ on website / None
Leaflets, booklets, newsletters / All detailed already / None
Advice and guidance / As detailed above, plus Annual letters to council / ‘Councils’ performance’ on website / None
Media releases / In news on website / ‘News and press‘ on website / None

1

[1] The ICO publish annual figures for the expenses of Richard Thomas, broken down into ‘Overseas travel’, ‘Overseas hotels and subsistence’, ‘UK travel’, ‘UK hotels and subsistence’ and ‘Entertaining, working lunches and hospitality’, and for the ‘rest of the office’ (as one amount) for each of the same categories. They also publish a sheet of travel and subsistence allowances, plus mileage rates.